Overweight more prevalent among children than among adolescents

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Abstract
Aims: To study if there is a change in paediatric overweight/obesity prevalence from 1982 to 2002 in a population with a high proportion of post‐graduate education.Design: Two samples of children in Uppsala County, Sweden, were compared: children who were 4, 10 and 16 year old in 1982; or 4, 10 and 16 year old in 2002. Mean BMI (in the lowest 10%, middle 50% and highest 10%) and ISO‐BMI (‘age adjusted BMI’) cut‐off values were calculated in each age and gender group.Results: Using the mean BMI or ISO‐BMI cut‐off values, the BMI‐distribution shifted from 1982 to 2002. More 4‐ and 10‐year‐old girls and boys were overweight/obese, although this shift was larger in girls. No shift was seen in the 16‐year‐olds, only the middle 50% group in the 16‐year‐old girls had a slight increase of their mean BMI. In the 2002 4‐year‐old, and both 10‐year‐old samples, a higher proportion of the girls were overweight/obese compared to the boys, but no difference was seen in the 16‐year‐old sample.Conclusion: Young children, especially girls, have become much more overweight/obese during the past 20 years, despite a high proportion of post‐graduate education in the population. The lack of major change in 16‐year‐olds may suggest a rather recent change in the children's environment/lifestyle.