Prevalence and characteristics of overweight and obesity in Chinese children aged 0-5 years / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To study the prevalence and characteristics of overweight and obesity among Chinese children aged 0-5 years, in 2010-2013. Methods: Data was from the'China Nutrition and Health Surveillance-0-5-Years-Old Children and Lactating Women'project in 2013. Stratified multistage cluster sampling method was used to select 55 districts/counties from 30 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) with the sample size of children as 32 862. Definition of overweight and obesity were according to both the WHO 2006 growth standard in children less than 5-year-old and the WHO 2007 growth reference in children of 5-years-old. Results: were calculated by complex weight based on national census from the National Bureau of Statistics in 2010. Results The overall prevalence of overweight was 8.4% among the 0-5-year-old in 2013, with 9.4% in boys and 7.2% in girls. Both of the rates from urban and rural areas were the same, as 8.4%. The prevalence rates of overweight in the 0-, 6-, 12-, 24-, 36-, 48- and 60-71 months age groups appeared as 13.0%, 11.1%, 8.3%, 6.0%, 4.8%, 3.9% and 15.9%, respectively. The rates of overweight in low, medium and high income families were 8.0%, 8.8% and 8.9%, respectively. The prevalence of obesity was 3.1% among the 0-5-year-old, with 3.6% in boys and 2.5% in girls. There was no significant difference seen in urban (3.3%) and rural areas (2.9%). The prevalence rates for obesity in the 0-, 6-, 12-, 24-, 36-, 48- and 60-71 months age groups were 5.8%, 3.8%, 2.5%, 1.6%, 1.2%, 1.3% and 7.8%, respectively. The rates of obesity in low, medium and high income families were 2.8%, 3.3% and 3.5%, respectively. Conclusion: The prevalence rates of both overweight and obesity were increasing among the 0-5-year-olds in China, suggesting that it is necessary to timely conduct the surveillance and intervention programs on overweight and obesity in this target population.

Epidemiological characteristics of waist circumference and abdominal obesity among Chinese children and adolescents aged 6-17 years / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of waist circumference and abdominal obesity among Chinese children and adolescents aged 6-17 years. Methods: Data was from the samples of aged 6-17 years in the China National Nutrition and Health Surveillance program in 2010-2012. P(90) (the same age, the same sex) was used as the diagnostic value for abdominal obesity. Results: The overall waist circumference of children and adolescents in all the age groups appeared higher in males than that in females (P<0.000 1), higher in cities than that in the rural areas (P<0.05), and higher in children with high family income than those with middle or low family incomes (P=0.000 3). The rate of abdominal obesity in children and adolescents aged 6-17 years appeared as 11.2% on average and 10.7% and 11.8% for boys and girls, respectively but with no significant difference (P>0.05). Rates on abdominal obesity appeared as 13.2% and 8.5% for boys while as 12.3% and 11.2% for girls respectively, in urban or rural areas. As for the levels of family income, the abdominal obesity rates appeared as 15.8%, 11.5% and 8.8% respectively for boys while 13.5%, 11.9% and 11.6% respectively for girls, under high, middle and low levels of family income. Conclusion: The rate of abdominal obesity in boys seemed more responsive to the impact of income in urban or rural areas.

Epidemiological characteristics of overweight and obesity in Chinese children and adolescents aged 6-17 years / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To analyze the prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in Chinese children and adolescents aged 6-17 years, and to provide scientific basis for the development of prevention strategies on obesity. Methods: Data was from children and adolescents aged 6-17 years in the China National Nutrition and Health Surveillance 2010-2012 program. In children aged 6 years, criteria of overweight and obesity were followed the WHO growth reference for school-aged children and adolescents. In children and adolescents aged 7-17 years, overweight and obesity were defined by sex and age specific BMI, recommended by Guidelines for prevention and control of overweight and obesity among school-age children and adolescents according to the Chinese guidelines. Results: The overall rates on overweight and obesity were 9.6% and 6.4% among the Chinese children and adolescents aged 6-17 years, with 11.0% (12.8% for boys and 9.0% for girls) in urban and 7.7% (boys 9.7%, girls 5.5%) in rural areas. The rates of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents were 8.4% (boys 9.3%, girls 7.4%) and 5.2% (boys 6.2%, girls 4.1%) in the rural areas. According to the levels of household income, the overweight rates of children in high, middle and low incomes were 12.3%, 10.7% and 8.2%, with obesity as 8.6%, 7.2% and 5.7% respectively. Conclusions: In 2012, the prevalence rates of overweight and obese were 9.6% and 6.4% among children and adolescents aged 6-17 years, respectively, higher in urban than in rural areas and higher boys than in girls. The prevalence rates of overweight and obesity seemed to be related to the levels of household income.