Simplified screening for overweight in children using the 2007 WHO Reference

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Public Health
• Anthropometry

Background:

• Childhood overweight is a growing global health concern.
• Accurate and accessible screening tools are crucial for early intervention.
• Existing methods may require complex calculations, hindering widespread use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a user-friendly screening instrument for identifying overweight status in children and adolescents.
• To simplify the process of overweight assessment in pediatric populations.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the 2007 World Health Organization (WHO) Growth Reference.
• Computed gender- and age-specific screening values based on body mass index (BMI) +1 standard deviation z-scores.
• Calculated values across 11 height percentiles at 6-month intervals for ages 5 to 19 years.

Main Results:

• Developed a simplified screening approach comprising two gender-specific tables.
• Tables provide screening values for overweight identification at 6-month age intervals.
• The instrument is based on the 2007 WHO Growth Reference data.

Conclusions:

• The developed instrument offers a straightforward method for assessing overweight in children and adolescents.
• Requires only height and weight measurements, eliminating complex computations.
• Facilitates easy identification of overweight status, supporting timely public health interventions.