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Spanholi MW, Matsuo LH, Roberto DMT, Pereira LJ, Belchor ALL, Cezimbra VG, Junior CASA, Vieira FGK, Silva DAS, de Vasconcelos FDAG, Soar C, Corrêa EN, Rockenbach G, Leite MS, de Assis MAA, Di Pietro PF, Kupek E, Leal DB, Hinnig PDF. Trends in the prevalence of obesity, overweight, and thinness among schoolchildren aged 7-14 years from southern Brazil (2002-2019). Am J Hum Biol 2024; 36:e24013. [PMID: 37971206 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.24013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To analyze the obesity, overweight, and thinness trends among Brazilian schoolchildren by sex, age group, and type of school according to World Health Organization (WHO) and International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria. METHODS We conducted four surveys between 2002 and 2018/19 involving schoolchildren aged 7-14 years from a state capital in southern Brazil. Weight status was classified using both WHO and IOTF criteria. RESULTS In the total sample, obesity prevalence based on the IOTF and the WHO criteria were 72% and 44% higher in 2018/19 compared with 2002, respectively. Over the whole period, the obesity prevalence increased among children (WHO: 10.1% vs. 14.1%; IOTF: 5.0% vs. 8.3%), and those from public schools (WHO: 10.5% vs. 16.4%; IOTF: 5.6% vs. 10.1%). There was no significant reduction in thinness prevalence over the analyzed period. CONCLUSION Obesity prevalence remains on an upward trend in a state capital in southern Brazil, especially among children from public schools. A higher prevalence of overweight and obesity was observed using the WHO criteria compared with IOTF criteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Winck Spanholi
- Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Luísa Harumi Matsuo
- Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | | | - Luciana Jeremias Pereira
- Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Ana Luisa Lages Belchor
- Department of Public Health, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Vanessa Guimarães Cezimbra
- Department of Public Health, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | | | | | - Diego Augusto Santos Silva
- Department of Physical Education, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | | | - Cláudia Soar
- Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Elizabeth Nappi Corrêa
- Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Gabriele Rockenbach
- Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Maurício Soares Leite
- Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | | | - Patrícia Faria Di Pietro
- Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Emil Kupek
- Department of Public Health, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Danielle Biazzi Leal
- Federation of Industries of the State of Santa Catarina (FIESC), Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Patrícia de Fragas Hinnig
- Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
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Sotiraki M, Malliou A, Tachirai N, Kellari N, Grammatikopoulou MG, Sergentanis TN, Vassilakou T. Burden of Childhood Malnutrition: A Roadmap of Global and European Policies Promoting Healthy Nutrition for Infants and Young Children. CHILDREN 2022; 9:children9081179. [PMID: 36010069 PMCID: PMC9406702 DOI: 10.3390/children9081179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Childhood malnutrition is a global epidemic with significant public health ramifications. The alarming increase in childhood obesity rates, in conjunction with the COVID-19 pandemic, pose major challenges. The present review aims to critically discuss policies and action plans promoting healthy nutrition among infants and children, globally. Since the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989 and the joint consortium held by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) that led to the “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding”, several policymakers and scientific societies have produced relevant reports. Today, the WHO and UNICEF remain the key players on the field, elaborating the guidelines shaped by international expert teams over time, but we still have a long way to go before assuring the health of our children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianthi Sotiraki
- MSc Programme in Public Health, Department of Public Health Policy, School of Public Health, University of West Attica, Athens University Campus, 196 Alexandras Avenue, 11521 Athens, Greece
- Correspondence: (M.S.); (T.V.)
| | - Aggeliki Malliou
- MSc Programme in Public Health, Department of Public Health Policy, School of Public Health, University of West Attica, Athens University Campus, 196 Alexandras Avenue, 11521 Athens, Greece
| | - Ntaniela Tachirai
- MSc Programme in Public Health, Department of Public Health Policy, School of Public Health, University of West Attica, Athens University Campus, 196 Alexandras Avenue, 11521 Athens, Greece
| | - Nikoletta Kellari
- MSc Programme in Public Health, Department of Public Health Policy, School of Public Health, University of West Attica, Athens University Campus, 196 Alexandras Avenue, 11521 Athens, Greece
| | - Maria G. Grammatikopoulou
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University General Hospital of Larissa, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, 41221 Larissa, Greece
| | - Theodoros N. Sergentanis
- MSc Programme in Public Health, Department of Public Health Policy, School of Public Health, University of West Attica, Athens University Campus, 196 Alexandras Avenue, 11521 Athens, Greece
| | - Tonia Vassilakou
- MSc Programme in Public Health, Department of Public Health Policy, School of Public Health, University of West Attica, Athens University Campus, 196 Alexandras Avenue, 11521 Athens, Greece
- Correspondence: (M.S.); (T.V.)
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Sarkkola C, Viljakainen J, de Oliveira Figueiredo RA, Saari A, Lommi S, Engberg E, Viljakainen H. Prevalence of Thinness, Overweight, Obesity, and Central Obesity in Finnish School-Aged Children: A Comparison of National and International Reference Values. Obes Facts 2022; 15:240-247. [PMID: 34937040 PMCID: PMC9021618 DOI: 10.1159/000521170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The global epidemic of obesity concerns children, and monitoring the prevalence is of highest priority. Body mass index (BMI) with age- and sex-specific cutoff values determines weight status in children, although multiple reference systems exist. Our aim was to compare the prevalence for thinness, normal weight, overweight, and obesity in Finnish school-aged children according to national and international reference values, as well as to determine which cutoff values for overweight agree with the criteria for central obesity. METHODS This study includes 10,646 children aged 9-12 years from the Finnish Health in Teens cohort. Height, weight, and waist circumference were measured in 2011-2014. BMI (weight [kg]/height [m]2) and the waist-to-height ratio (WHtR; waist [cm]/height [cm]) were calculated. The WHtR cutoff of >0.5 indicated central obesity. We compared the sex-specific prevalence of thinness, overweight, and obesity using the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF), World Health Organization (WHO) and Finnish (FIN) BMI-for-age reference values, as well as these three against central obesity based on the WHtR. RESULTS The prevalence of thinness, overweight, and obesity were 11.0%, 12.7%, and 2.6%, respectively, using IOTF; 2.6%, 15.9%, and 5.2% using WHO; and 5.1%, 11.4%, and 2.2% using FIN. Overweight and obesity were more common in boys than girls using WHO and FIN, while thinness was more common in girls using IOTF and FIN. IOTF versus WHO exhibited moderate agreement (κ = 0.59), which improved for IOTF versus FIN (κ = 0.74). Of those classified as overweight by WHO, 37% and 47% were regarded as normal weight according to IOTF and FIN, respectively. The prevalence of central obesity was 8.7%, and it was more common in boys than girls. WHO provided the highest sensitivity: 95% of individuals with central obesity were classified with overweight or obesity. Using FIN provided the highest specificity (93%). CONCLUSION Our findings show that WHO overestimates the prevalence of overweight and obesity, while IOTF overrates thinness. Thus, comparing prevalence rates between studies requires caution. The novelty of this study is the comparison of the cutoff values for overweight with central obesity. The choice of reference system affects the generalizability of the research results.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Antti Saari
- Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
- University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Sohvi Lommi
- Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Elina Engberg
- Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Heli Viljakainen
- Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- *Heli Viljakainen,
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Lin L, Yang-Huang J, Wang H, Santos S, van Grieken A, Raat H. Social mobility by parent education and childhood overweight and obesity: a prospective cohort study. Eur J Public Health 2021; 31:764-770. [PMID: 34491333 DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckab073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The association of social mobility, measured by parent education and childhood overweight and obesity (OWOB) has been scarcely reported on. This study evaluated the associations between social mobility measured by parent education and childhood OWOB at child age 6 and 10 years. METHODS We analyzed data of 4030 children and parents participating in the Generation R study. We used generalized linear models controlling for potential confounders to determine if social mobility (upward mobility, static-low and static-high based on the change of parent education) was associated with age- and sex-specific standard deviation scores of body mass index (BMI-SDS) or OWOB (the cut-offs of International Obesity Task Force). RESULTS Mean BMI-SDS of the children was 0.23 ± 0.89 and 0.26 ± 1.03 at child age 6 and 10 years, respectively; the prevalence of OWOB increased from 15.2 to 17.4%. Compared with children from mothers in the upward mobility group, children from mothers in the static-high group had lower BMI-SDS and lower odds of OWOB at both ages (all P < 0.001). Compared with children from fathers in the upward mobility group, children from fathers in static-low group had higher BMI-SDS and higher odds of OWOB at both ages (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Our study contributes to the literature by showing that the behaviors of parents' obtaining a higher level of education after the child was born may be beneficial to attenuate the odds of the child developing overweight in late childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lizi Lin
- Department of Public Health, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Junwen Yang-Huang
- Department of Public Health, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.,The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Haijun Wang
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Susana Santos
- The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Amy van Grieken
- Department of Public Health, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hein Raat
- Department of Public Health, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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