Prevalence of overweight and obesity in students from different altitudinal zones of Jujuy according to three international references (IOTF, CDC and WHO)

Abstract

Introduction. Prevalences of overweight and obesity in students from different altitudinal zones of Jujuy are compared using the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) references, and the agreement among them. Material and Methods. Weight and height data from 15 541 students were grouped in highlands (HL) (≥2500 MASL) and lowlands (LL) (<2500 MASL) and in two age groups (5-6.99 years old and 11-12.99 years old). Overweight and obesity prevalences were calculated according to the different references. The differences in outcome measures and prevalences were established using the χ 2 test and the t test, and agreement among the criteria was calculated using the kappa index. Results. Students from the HL had lower weight, height and body mass index (BMI) values (p< 0.05). Overweight and obesity prevalences compared to the WHO reference were higher, except for overweight in students of both sexes, from 11 to 12.99 years old, from the HL and the LL. Regardless of the references, gender and age, overweight and obesity prevalences were generally higher in the LL. Agreement between the IOTF and the CDC was good-very good, and agreement among them and the WHO was fair-moderate. Conclusions. Students from the HL had a lower overweight and obesity prevalence. The greatest agreement was observed between the IOTF and the CDC references.

Prevalence and factors associated with overweight and obesity among Spanish students attending special education schools

“…The use of the IOTF classification system may have led to a slight underestimation of the prevalence of overweight and obesity compared to other reference frameworks used on an international level, such as those recommended by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States (Hajian‐Tilaki & Heidari, ; Pedrosa et al, ). However, most studies have found that there is good agreement between the IOTF and the CDC criteria for the identification of both overweight and obesity (Hajian‐Tilaki & Heidari, ; Li et al, ; Meyer, Carrillo, Roman, Bejarano, & Dipierri, ; Pedrosa et al, ).…”

Differences in Classification Standards For the Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Children. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…The study by Meyer et al 40 carried out in Argentina, when analysing the prevalence of obesity calculated with the different references, observed that the WHO reference gave the highest rates (29.3% compared to the CDC of 17.6% and the IOTF of 10.1%). For obesity, the differences between references were significant in all comparisons, except between the IOTF and the CDC in both sexes and age groups.…”

“…The percentage of children, young people and adolescents affected by overweight varies considerably depending on the BMI cut-off points across classifications and may also vary by age group and ethnicity. 40 , 59 …”

“… Bergel Sanchís et al (2014) 39 Mexico, Venezuela, Spain 527 participants, 206 participants, 553 participants 10–13 years MEXICO WHO 2007 Normal: 67.7%; Overweight: 13.9%; Obesity: 2.7% Cole-IOTF Normal: 78.6%; Overweight: 9.7%; Obesity: 1.1% VENEZUELA WHO 2007 Normal: 58.7%; Overweight: 16.0%; Obesity: 6.3% Cole-IOTF Normal: 71.8%; Overweight: 11.7%; Obesity: 3.9% SPAIN WHO 2007 Normal: 55.9%; Overweight: 27.5%; Obesity: 10.5% Cole-IOTF Normal: 68.4%; Overweight: 24.4%; Obesity: 3.8% The WHO 2007 references for BMI overestimated the prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity relative to the cut-off points proposed by the Cole-IOTF for the diagnosis of malnutrition. Meyer et al (2013) 40 Argentina 15,541 participants 5–12.9 years WHO 2007 Overweight: 13.7%; Obesity: 29.3% CDC 2000 Overweight: 13.4%; Obesity: 17.6% Cole-IOTF Overweight: 15.9%; Obesity: 10.2% The agreement between references varied by sex, age and origin of the schoolchildren, between good and very good for Cole-IOTF and CDC 2000. In contrast, the agreements between the Cole-IOTF and CDC 2000 references with respect to the 2007 WHO reference were mediocre and moderate for Cole-IOTF and CDC 2000.…”

Effectiveness of Community-Based Interventions Programs in Childhood Obesity Prevention in a Spanish Population According to Different Socioeconomic School Settings

“…Nowadays, owing to the absence of a widely-shared consensus, it is highly recommended that prevalence studies consider several reference values [30], specifically international standards such as the ones from the IOTF and at a national level the OF criteria. Thus, it is well known that results and their comparison in terms of overweight and obesity prevalence is highly dependent on the methodology used [31,32]. Therefore, in our study both criteria were used to determine overweight/obesity prevalence at the baseline and at the end of the follow-up period.…”