Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Age-specific stabilization in obesity prevalence in German children: a cross-sectional study from 1999 to 2008
Susann Blüher1, Christof Meigen, Ruth Gausche
1Department of Women and Child Health, University of Leipzig , Germany. susann.blueher@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
Objective:
Trends of overweight (ov)/obesity (ob) prevalence among German children aged 4-16 years were studied between 1999 and 2008.
Subjects:
Body mass index (BMI) data (>P90 [ov] and >P97 [ob]) from the national CrescNet database were analysed in three age groups: 4-7.99, 8-11.99, and 12-16 years.
Results:
Trend analyses. Data from 272 826 children were analyzed. a) Whole study population aged 4-16 years old. A significant upward trend for ov/ob prevalence was found between 1999 and 2003, and a significant downward trend between 2004 and 2008. b) Subgroup analyses. Ov/Ob prevalence increased in most subgroups studied until 2004. Between 2004 and 2008, a downward trend for ov/ob prevalence was found in children, aged 4-7.99 years, whereas it stabilized in most other subgroups studied. Cross-sectional analyses. Data from 93 028 children were analyzed. Ov/ob prevalence was significantly higher in 2004 compared with 2000 in girls aged 12-16 years and in boys aged 8-16 years. Ov/ob obesity prevalence was significantly lower in 2008 compared with 2004 in children aged 4-7.99 years.
Conclusion:
Ov/ob prevalence increased between 1999 and 2003 in German children. Since 2004, this trend has been stabilizing or turning into a downward trend. Our data confirm the global trend of stabilizing prevalence rates of childhood obesity at a high level and add important information for individual age groups. Intervention programs targeted to prevent childhood obesity may have had beneficial effects, and a new balance between factors favouring obesity and those favouring leanness may have been reached recently. Age- and gender-specific differences found in trends of ov/ob prevalence may help optimise preventive and therapeutic measures.
Related Concept Videos
Obesity
Drug Dosing: Obese Patients
Pharmacokinetics in Obese Patients: Drug Absorption and Distribution
Nature and Nurture
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Metabolism
Regression Toward the Mean

