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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

Prevalence rates and comparisons of obesity levels in Ireland

Carol Barron1, Catherine Comiskey, Jamie Saris

  • 1School of Nursing, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland.

British Journal of Nursing (Mark Allen Publishing)
|July 14, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Overweight and obesity rates in Irish children aged 4-13 years remained stable between 2002 and 2007. While prevalence was 24.6% in 2007, further research is needed to confirm if these childhood obesity trends are truly stabilizing.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Public Health Nutrition
  • Childhood Obesity Research

Background:

  • Childhood overweight and obesity are significant public health concerns globally.
  • Previous studies in Ireland have indicated rising trends in pediatric overweight and obesity.
  • Understanding current prevalence and trends is crucial for effective public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Irish school children aged 4-13 years between 2002 and 2007.
  • To analyze the relationship between age, gender, and Body Mass Index (BMI) in this cohort.
  • To assess potential changes in childhood obesity rates over a 5-year period in Ireland.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from 2007 and a 2002 Irish study (Whelton et al).
  • Applied International Obesity Taskforce (IOTF) criteria for Body Mass Index (BMI) classification.
  • Statistical analysis included correlation tests for age and gender with BMI.

Main Results:

  • In 2007, overweight prevalence was 17.8% and obesity was 6.8%, totaling 24.6% combined.
  • A significant positive correlation was found between age and BMI (R = 0.35, p < 0.001).
  • No statistically significant changes in overweight/obesity prevalence were observed between 2002 and 2007.

Conclusions:

  • Childhood overweight and obesity rates among Irish children aged 4-13 may be stabilizing.
  • Age is a significant factor associated with increasing BMI in this age group.
  • Longitudinal studies are recommended to validate the stabilization of these childhood obesity trends in Ireland.

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