Prevalence of overweight and obese children between 1989 and 1998: population based series of cross sectional studies.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To determine trends in weight, height, and body mass index in children between 1989 and 1998.

Design

Retrospective series of cross sectional studies of routinely collected data.

Setting

Primary care in the Wirral Health Authority.

Participants

35 662 infants aged 1-3 months (representing 88% of live births) and 28 768 children aged 2.9-4.0 years. 21 582 infants and children (25.1%) were excluded because of missing or inaccurate data.

Main outcome measures

Weight, height, sex, and age routinely recorded by health visitors. Height, weight, and body mass index standardised for age and sex. SD score >1.04 for body mass index (>85th centile) was defined as overweight and >1.64 (>95th centile) as obese. Body mass index was not calculated in infants a

SUBMITTER: Bundred P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC26573 | biostudies-literature | 2001 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature