Trends of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents aged 7-17 in 16 provinces of China from 2000 to 2018

Abstract

To analyze the distribution characteristics and trends of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents aged 7-17 years in 16 provinces of China. Data were collected from China health and nutrition survey in 2000, 2006, 2011, 2015 and 2018, 8398 children and adolescents aged 7-17 with complete data were selected as the research objects. Overweight and obesity were classified by body mass index(BMI) reference norm for screening overweight and obesity in Chinese children and adolescents. The distribution and trend of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents aged 7-17 in 16 provinces of China were analyzed by using Cochran-Armitage trend test and two-level random intercept model. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents aged 7-17 in China showed an upward trend from 2000 to 2018(P<0.05). The prevalence of overweight increased from 5.42% in 2000 to 12.92% in 2018, and the prevalence of obesity increased from 2.45% in 2000 to 12.36% in 2018. The result of multilevel model analysis showed that gender and urban and rural areas had significant effects on centralized BMI(P<0.05), the BMI increase value of boys was greater than that of girls(β=0.2824), the BMI increase value of children and adolescents in rural areas was greater than that in urban areas(β=0.5902). The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents aged 7-17 in 16 provinces of China are increasing.