Prevalence of overweight and obesity in school-aged children.

PURPOSE

Childhood obesity is a public health concern in Canada. Few published anthropometric data are available to indicate obesity prevalence in Canadian children. Obesity prevalence is reported for school-aged children in 11 London, Ontario, schools.

METHODS

Data on body weight and height were obtained using standardized procedures. United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) body mass index (BMI)-for-age references and Cole's international BMI reference were used to classify the children's weight categories.

RESULTS

The study included 1,570 pupils aged six to 13. The CDC BMI references categorized 16.6% and 11.8% of children as overweight and obese, respectively. In comparison, when the Cole BMI reference and cut-off points were used, 17.5% and 7.6% of children were classified as overweight and obese, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Overweight is prevalent in the study population. Public health interventions are warranted to curb the obesity epidemic in school-aged children.