Abstract
Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health problems. The prevalence of obesity among children is increasing and may negatively affect their immediate health, but it can also lead to obesity in adulthood. The aim of the study was to compare BMI cut-off points by examining three main international references: the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Task Force Obesity (IOTF) and the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Ultimately, the study group consisted of 18,144 children and adolescents aged 6.5–17.5 years. Body mass was measured on medical scales with an accuracy of ± 100 g and height measurement was taken using a height meter with an accuracy of ± 0.1 cm three times. Underweight, overweight and obesity were calculated according to WHO, IOTF and CDC BMI international references. There were differences in the incidence of underweight between the classifications: 16.8% according to IATF, 5.3% according to WHO and 9.9% according to CDC. There were also differences in the incidence of overweight and obesity between the classifications: 13% according to IOTF, 19.7% according to WHO and 14.1% according to CDC. In the CDC and WHO studies, a significantly higher prevalence of childhood obesity (4.0% and 4.7%, respectively) was observed compared with IOTF (2.1%). The prevalence of overweight and obesity in this study was higher among boys compared to girls. However, estimates of prevalence of overweight and obesity differ in methods and reference cut-off points. Higher prevalence was obtained in IOTF classification, followed by the WHO and CDC classification.
Highlights
Overweight and obesity can be defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that can be harmful to health [1]
Assessment of Body mass index (BMI) in pediatric population from Ukraine according to various international criteria prevalence of obesity among children is increasing and may negatively affect their immediate health, but it can lead to adult obesity, which is often conducive to chronic diseases including diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and cardiovascular diseases, even at a young age [2,3]
There were differences in the frequency of overweight and obesity between the classifications: 13% according to International Obesity Task Force (IOTF), 19.7% according to World Health Organization (WHO) and 14.1% according to Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Summary
Overweight and obesity can be defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that can be harmful to health [1]. Assessment of BMI in pediatric population from Ukraine according to various international criteria prevalence of obesity among children is increasing and may negatively affect their immediate health, but it can lead to adult obesity, which is often conducive to chronic diseases including diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and cardiovascular diseases, even at a young age [2,3]. Obesity is increasing worldwide, affecting children and adults in both developed and developing countries [4,5]. Thirty-nine percent of adults at the age of 18 years and older were overweight in 2016 and 13% were obese. Thirty-eight million children under the age of 5 years were overweight or obese in 2019 [6]. Over 340 million children and adolescents aged 5–19 were overweight or obese in 2016. Most of the world’s population lives in countries where overweight and obesity kill more people than underweight [6]
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