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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
09:36

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study

Published on: February 2, 2017

Obesity in a provincial population of Canadian preschool children: differences between 1984 and 1997 birth cohorts

Patricia Canning1, Mary L Courage, Lynn M Frizzell

  • 1Centre of Excellence for Children and Adolescents with Special Needs and the Faculty of Education, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada. pcanning@mun.ca

International Journal of Pediatric Obesity : IJPO : an Official Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity
|September 1, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Overweight and obesity rates significantly increased in Canadian preschoolers between 1984 and 2000. This trend highlights the urgent need for monitoring and interventions for childhood obesity.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Public Health Nutrition
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Childhood overweight and obesity are growing public health concerns globally.
  • Previous research indicated rising trends in older children and adults.
  • The prevalence in preschool-aged children in Canada remained less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Canadian preschoolers.
  • To determine if trends observed in older populations are also present in younger children.
  • To compare prevalence rates between two birth cohorts.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized archival government and health authority records for two cohorts of preschoolers in Newfoundland and Labrador.
  • Included 3857 children born in 1984 (measured 1987-1989) and 4161 children born in 1997 (measured 2000-2002).
  • Calculated Body Mass Index (BMI) from nurse-measured heights and weights, applying International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) and Centres for Disease Control (CDC) criteria.

Main Results:

  • Combined overweight and obesity rates were significantly higher in the 1997 birth cohort (25.6% IOTF, 36.0% CDC) compared to the 1984 cohort (16.9% IOTF, 25.1% CDC).
  • Prevalence rates were already considered high in the earlier cohort.
  • Minor variations observed between sexes and classification systems.

Conclusions:

  • A rapid increase in overweight and obesity was observed in preschoolers over a decade.
  • This trend underscores the critical need for ongoing monitoring and effective public health interventions.
  • Population-based strategies are essential to address the rising prevalence of preschool overweight and obesity.
Abstract

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