Prevalence and secular trend of childhood overweight and obesity in a Mediterranean area of Southeast Spain

Abstract

Introduction: Childhood obesity epidemic is a worldwide public health problem, but recent studies show a stabilization trend. Objective: To study the prevalence of overweight and obesity in school-age children from a Mediterranean area in Southeast Spain from 1992 to 2011. Methods: Cross-sectional study at two-time points (1992 and 2011) of representative samples of children aged 6-11 years (n = 737 and 620, respectively). Weight and height were measured by trained personnel. Overweight and obesity were defined according to Body Mass Index (BMI) using the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Results: The prevalence of overnutrition (overweight plus obesity) decreased significantly from 1992 to 2011, with a decrease of 45.4% to 36.0% (according to the WHO cutoffs) or 37.3% to 30.0% (according to the IOTF cutoffs). Obesity decreased significantly according to WHO criteria (19.6% to 13.5%) while overweight remained stable. When grouping by sex, overnutrition in girls remained stable with a prevalence of 39.0% (WHO) or 34.0% (IOTF) in 1992, and 35.7% (WHO) or 31.1% (IOTF) in 2011. However, in boys a significant decrease is observed, with a prevalence of 50.0% (WHO) or 38.8% (IOTF) in 1992, decreasing to 38.8% (WHO) and 29.5% (IOTF) in 2011. Conclusions: Even though the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity remained at high levels, according to our results in the studied period there was a decrease in the Mediterranean area of Southeast Spain. There was variability between sex, with a significant decrease only in males. Prevalence estimates varied depending on the reference values used.

Changes from 1986 to 2018 in the prevalence of obesity and overweight, metabolic control and treatment in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus in a Mediterranean area of Southeast Spain

“…Nonetheless, as other authors have reported [ 10 ], the incidence of DM1 does not show a linear relationship with excess body mass, and during the period studied, the incidence of DM1 in children and adolescents continued to increase steadily in Europe [ 4 ], North America [ 29 , 30 ], and Spain [ 5 ]. As other authors have observed in the adult population with DM1 [ 31 ], our findings reveal an increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in diabetic children and adolescents, with stabilization in the last ten years, similar to that seen in the population from which the sample was drawn [ 2 , 32 ], as shown in Fig. 5 .…”

“…The global rise in childhood overweight and obesity observed in the last forty years has shown a tendency to stabilize in recent studies [ 3 ]. The pediatric population in our healthcare area, which was the source of the sample studied, has shown a similar evolution [ 2 ] with very high figures for overweight and obesity. Nonetheless, as other authors have reported [ 10 ], the incidence of DM1 does not show a linear relationship with excess body mass, and during the period studied, the incidence of DM1 in children and adolescents continued to increase steadily in Europe [ 4 ], North America [ 29 , 30 ], and Spain [ 5 ].…”

“…A global increase in the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity has been noted in the last few decades [ 1 ], with a tendency toward stabilization in recent population studies [ 2 , 3 ]. Similarly, the incidence and prevalence of type 1 diabetes (DM1) has increased in the pediatric population [ 4 – 6 ], and excess weight has become increasingly common in diabetic children and adolescents [ 7 ].…”

Childhood Obesity in Serbia on the Rise

“…According to Jaacks et al [ 24 ], reducing the prevalence of adulthood obesity might be related to reducing obesity in children in the first place, therefore, regular monitoring and assessment of children’s nutritional status and nutritional environments should be considered as a public health priority. This was confirmed in Spain that reached a stabilization situation regarding obesity by the implementation of public measures to prevent childhood obesity [ 26 ]. Moreover, some countries with the highest prevalence that were involved in COSI project, showed a decrease of the BMI z-score with public health measures taken after the first round [ 27 ].…”

Body height, weight, and Body Mass Index – magnitude and pace of secular changes in children and adolescents from Kraków (Poland) between 1983 and 2020

“…Certainly, the secular decrease of the BMI occurring over the last decade, especially compared to the earlier trends, should be regarded as a favorable change. Nevertheless, it should be stressed that the BMI does not take into consideration the tissue composition of the body, as well as the distribution of fat tissue, which are crucial in the context of health risk assessment (Espin Riosa et al, 2013; Pastor‐Fajardo et al, 2020; Robinson et al, 2019). Additionally, described limitation of the BMI should be taken into consideration because of the trend towards the central deposition of fat tissue noted recently in the Kraków population (Żegleń et al, 2022).…”