Original Article
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2007) 61, 743–751; doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602580; published online 20 December 2006
Prevalence of overweight and obesity in Irish school children, using four different definitions
Guarantor: JL O'Neill.
J L O'Neill1, S N McCarthy1, S J Burke1, E M Hannon2, M Kiely2, A Flynn2, M A T Flynn3 and M J Gibney1
- 1School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine, College of Life Sciences, University College Dublin, Republic of Ireland
- 2Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University College Cork, Republic of Ireland
- 3Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Correspondence: Professor MJ Gibney, UCD Agriculture and Food Science Centre, School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine, College of Life Sciences, University College Dublin, Room 3.02C, Belfield, Dublin 4, Republic of Ireland. E-mail: mike.gibney@ucd.ie
Received 12 April 2006; Revised 28 September 2006; Accepted 2 October 2006; Published online 20 December 2006.
Abstract
Objective:
To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Irish children using four different weight-for-height methods and to examine secular trends from previous national data.
Design:
A cross-sectional survey. Weight and height were measured according to standard procedures and used to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity using four weight-for-height methods of assessment, actual relative weight, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention body mass index (BMI) for age charts for boys and girls, the BMI reference curves for the UK 1990 and the International Obesity Task Force age- and sex-specific BMI cutoffs.
Setting:
The survey was carried out between 2003 and 2004 in the Republic of Ireland.
Subjects:
Random representative sample of 596 children aged 5–12 years.
Results:
The prevalence of overweight and obesity in Irish children is high, but varies considerably with each method. The prevalence of obesity in boys ranged from 4.1 to 11.2 % and in girls from 9.3 to 16.3%. Between 1990 and 2005, depending on the method used, there was a two-to-fourfold increase in obesity in children aged 8–12 years.
Conclusion:
It is evident given the variation displayed in the prevalence of obesity when using the different methods, that there is a discernible need for a single definition to identify the obese child in Ireland. The findings show a high prevalence of overweight and obesity in Irish school children and the increase in the prevalence of obesity over the last 15 years highlights this growing public health issue.
Keywords:
children, obesity, overweight, BMI, cutoffs, Ireland
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS
These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated
RESEARCH
Prevalence of overweight and obesity in Irish school children, using four different definitions
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition Original Article
Body Mass Index Cutoffs for Underweight, Overweight, and Obesity in South Korean Schoolgirls **
Obesity Research Scientific Correspondence
Prevalence of overweight and obesity in Greek school-aged children and adolescents
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition Scientific Correspondence
Mexican anthropometry percentiles and the LMS method
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition Letter
