Fat kids grow up to be fat adults: A lesson to be learned from China

The ethnoepidemiology of obesity

The prevalence of overweight and obesity varies significantly across ethnic groups and among aboriginal people in Canada and appears to be increasing overall in children and youth, which will have significant health consequences in the future. Individual health behaviours, genetic predisposition, and community-level factors all contribute to the high burden of overweight and obesity across communities in Canada. Preliminary studies indicate that individuals who live in neighbourhoods in Canada with increased walkability, fewer fast food outlets, and higher socioeconomic status have lower rates of overweight/obesity when compared with other neighbourhoods. However, more research is required to understand the impact of community level factors on overweight/obesity trends in Canadian ethnic groups, including children and youth, and aboriginal people.

Empirical change in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in adolescents from 2007 to 2011 in Guangzhou, China

There is a strong evidence of an increasing secular trend in obesity in adolescents in most of the world over the past 10 years. However, no studies have been reported on this trend in Guangzhou, one of the most urbanized areas in China. This study assessed the empirical changes in body mass index (BMI) and the prevalence of overweight and obesity of adolescents in Guangzhou from 2007 to 2011. The data were derived from the surveys on students' constitution and health carried out by government in 2007, 2009, and 2011 in Guangzhou. Randomly, 17,157 students in 2007, 26,381 students in 2009, and 36,328 students in 2011, aged 12 to 18, from schools in the four urban districts were examined. Anthropometric parameters were measured in all students. Adiposity status was estimated using BMI according to the Working Group on Obesity in China criteria. The total prevalence of overweight and obesity increased from 8.1 % and 3.1 % in 2007 to 10.0 % and 4.2 % in 2011, respectively (P < 0.05). However, the total prevalence of obesity decreased significantly from 4.5 % in 2009 to 4.2 % in 2011 (P < 0.05). The prevalence of overweight and obesity in males was significantly higher than that in females in each year among the 4 years (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Although the prevalence of adolescent overweight and obesity in Guangzhou in 2011 is still lower than the average values of Chinese large coastal cities, a significant increase was still found in their prevalence from 2007 to 2011. However, the adolescent obesity, but not the overweight prevalence, starts to decrease from 2009 to 2011.

Emerging obesity and dietary habits among James Bay Cree youth

OBJECTIVE

To describe dietary habits and extent of overweight and obesity among Cree youth.

DESIGN

Dietary intake and habits were assessed by a 24 h recall and FFQ as part of a cross-sectional survey.

SETTING

Three Cree communities in northern Québec, Canada.

SUBJECTS

A total of 125 youth aged 9-18 years.

RESULTS

Overall 67·6 % of the study population was either at risk of overweight or overweight. Over 98 % had a usual saturated fat intake over 10 % of energy while 65 % had a lower consumption of fruit/vegetables and 95 % had a lower consumption of milk and milk products than recommended by Canada's Food Guide. The majority (96·8 %) consumed high-fat foods (>40 % of total energy as fat), which accounted for 39 % of total energy intake (EI). Similarly, 92·8 % consumed high-sugar food and beverages (>25 % of total energy as sugar), which accounted for 12·8 % of total EI. Furthermore, 95 % of the youth had a Healthy Eating Index (HEI) below the recommended score of 80 or above. Certain measures of diet quality (traditional food (TF) consumption, HEI and vegetables and fruit consumption) were significantly correlated with adiposity measures.

CONCLUSIONS

A high prevalence of low-diet quality was found with a high degree of sugar and fat intake and a low consumption of vegetables/fruit and milk/milk alternates and any weekly TF. Dietary interventions are sorely needed.

Epidemic increase in overweight and obesity in Chinese children from 1985 to 2005

This study tracks the temporal changes in prevalence of childhood and adolescent overweight and obesity in different regions of China from 1985 to 2005. Using a series data of the Chinese National Survey on Students Constitution and Health, we compared the temporal changes over a 20-year period of the prevalence of overweight and obesity among ten regions in China for school-aged children between 7 and 18 years of age. Large disparities in the temporal changes of obesity prevalence exist in different regions of China. North coastal residents, especially those of the upper socioeconomic status, had the earliest and largest increase in prevalence. Similar increases then followed successively in other regions of upper, moderate and low socioeconomic status, and finally in the affluent rural regions. No significant increase was found in the developing rural areas. Regions where the obesity epidemic occurred late also began to show rather rapid increases in prevalence in recent years. In 2005, the national estimates indicated that 7.73% of Chinese youth are overweight and 3.71% of them are obese, representing an estimated 21.37 million Chinese children (13.43 million boys and 7.94 million girls).