Prevalence of obesity among 10-11-year-old Maltese children using four established standards

The objective of this study was to establish, through measured height and weight, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in a representative sample of Maltese children aged 10-11 years.

Height and weight were measured in a sample, stratified by sex, region and type of school, of 874 year 6 children and their body mass index classified as normal weight, overweight, and obese using International Obesity Task Force (IOTF), World Health Organization (WHO), US Centre for Disease Control and U.K. Department of Health standards.

IOTF standards indicated 20.4% overweight and 14.2% obese, while WHO standards indicated 23.1% overweight and 20.9% obese. All four standards reported significant sex differences, classifying more boys in the overweight and obesity categories.

The prevalence of overweight and obesity among 10-11-year-old Maltese children are higher than previously estimated through self-reported height and weight and all other countries in the world except Greece. These high rates confirm the urgent need to identify causes and tackle childhood obesity in Malta.