ContextThe prevalence of overweight among children in the United States increased
between 1976-1980 and 1988-1994, but estimates for the current decade are
unknown.ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence of overweight in US children using the most
recent national data with measured weights and heights and to examine trends
in overweight prevalence.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsSurvey of 4722 children from birth through 19 years of age with weight
and height measurements obtained in 1999-2000 as part of the National Health
and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a cross-sectional, stratified,
multistage probability sample of the US population.Main Outcome MeasurePrevalence of overweight among US children by sex, age group, and race/ethnicity.
Overweight among those aged 2 through 19 years was defined as at or above
the 95th percentile of the sex-specific body mass index (BMI) for age growth
charts.ResultsThe prevalence of overweight was 15.5% among 12- through 19-year-olds,
15.3% among 6- through 11-year-olds, and 10.4% among 2- through 5-year-olds,
compared with 10.5%, 11.3%, and 7.2%, respectively, in 1988-1994 (NHANES III).
The prevalence of overweight among non-Hispanic black and Mexican-American
adolescents increased more than 10 percentage points between 1988-1994 and
1999-2000.ConclusionThe prevalence of overweight among children in the United States is
continuing to increase, especially among Mexican-American and non-Hispanic
black adolescents.

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Prevalence and trends in overweight among us children and adolescents, 1999-2000

Background Childhood obesity increases the risk of obesity in adulthood, but how parental obesity affects the chances of a child's becoming an obese adult is unknown. We investigated the risk of obesity in young adulthood associated with both obesity in childhood and obesity in one or both parents. Methods Height and weight measurements were abstracted from the records of 854 subjects born at a health maintenance organization in Washington State between 1965 and 1971. Their parents' medical records were also reviewed. Childhood obesity was defined as a body-mass index at or above the 85th percentile for age and sex, and obesity in adulthood as a mean body-mass index at or above 27.8 for men and 27.3 for women. Results In young adulthood (defined as 21 to 29 years of age), 135 subjects (16 percent) were obese. Among those who were obese during childhood, the chance of obesity in adulthood ranged from 8 percent for 1- or 2-year-olds without obese parents to 79 percent for 10-to-14-year-olds with at least on...

https://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJM199709253371301

Predicting Obesity in Young Adulthood from Childhood and Parental Obesity

Context The prevalence of high body mass index (BMI) among children and adolescents in the United States appeared to plateau between 1999 and 2006. Objectives To provide the most recent estimates of high BMI among children and adolescents and high weight for recumbent length among infants and toddlers and to analyze trends in prevalence between 1999 and 2008. Design, Setting, and Participants The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2008, a representative sample of the US population with measured heights and weights on 3281 children and adolescents (2 through 19 years of age) and 719 infants and toddlers (birth to 2 years of age). Main Outcome Measures Prevalence of high weight for recumbent length (≥95th percentile of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth charts) among infants and toddlers. Prevalence of high BMI among children and adolescents defined at 3 levels: BMI for age at or above the 97th percentile, at or above the 95th percentile, and at or above the 85th percentile of the BMI-for-age growth charts. Analyses of trends by age, sex, and race/ethnicity from 1999-2000 to 2007-2008. Results In 2007-2008, 9.5% of infants and toddlers (95% confidence interval [CI], 7.3%-11.7%) were at or above the 95th percentile of the weight-for-recumbent-length growth charts. Among children and adolescents aged 2 through 19 years, 11.9% (95% CI, 9.8%-13.9%) were at or above the 97th percentile of the BMI-for-age growth charts; 16.9% (95% CI, 14.1%-19.6%) were at or above the 95th percentile; and 31.7% (95% CI, 29.2%-34.1%) were at or above the 85th percentile of BMI for age. Prevalence estimates differed by age and by race/ethnic group. Trend analyses indicate no significant trend between 1999-2000 and 2007-2008 except at the highest BMI cut point (BMI for age ≥97th percentile) among all 6- through 19-year-old boys (odds ratio [OR], 1.52; 95% CI, 1.17-2.01) and among non-Hispanic white boys of the same age (OR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.22-2.94). Conclusion No statistically significant linear trends in high weight for recumbent length or high BMI were found over the time periods 1999-2000, 2001-2002, 2003-2004, 2005-2006, and 2007-2008 among girls and boys except among the very heaviest 6- through 19-year-old boys.Published online January 13, 2010 (doi:10.1001/jama.2009.2012).

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/articlepdf/185233/joc90145_242_249.pdf

Prevalence of high body mass index in US children and adolescents, 2007-2008.

Objectives. Obesity has become a global epidemic but our understanding of the problem in children is limited due to lack of comparable representative data from different countries, and varying criteria for defining obesity. This paper summarises the available information on recent trends in child overweight and obesity prevalence. Methods. PubMed was searched for data relating to trends over time, in papers published between January 1980 and October 2005. Additional studies identified by citations in retrieved papers and by consultation with experts were included. Data for trends over time were found for school-age populations in 25 countries and for pre-school populations in 42 countries. Using these reports, and data collected for the World Health Organization's Burden of Disease Program, we estimated the global prevalence of overweight and obesity among school-age children for 2006 and likely prevalence levels for 2010. Results. The prevalence of childhood overweight has increased in almost all countri...

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Worldwide trends in childhood overweight and obesity

Overweight and obesity in youth are important public health concerns and are of particular interest because of possible long-term associations with adult weight status and morbidity. The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature and update evidence concerning persistence of childhood overweight. A computerized bibliographical search--restricted to studies with a prospective or retrospective longitudinal design--was conducted. Two authors independently extracted data and assessed the methodological quality of the included studies in four dimensions (i) study population and participation rate; (ii) study attrition; (iii) data collection and (iv) data analysis. Conclusions were based on a rating system of three levels of evidence. A total of 25 publications were selected for inclusion in this review. According to a methodological quality assessment, 13 studies were considered to be of high quality. The majority of these high-quality studies were published after 2001, indicating that recently published data, in particular, provide us with reliable information. All included studies consistently report an increased risk of overweight and obese youth becoming overweight adults, suggesting that the likelihood of persistence of overweight into adulthood is moderate for overweight and obese youth. However, predictive values varied considerably. Limiting aspects with respect to generalizability and methodological issues are discussed.

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D. Ivery

Papers

Do Obese Children Become Obese Adults? A Review of the Literature