[Body mass index among children and adolescents: prevalences and distribution considering underweight and extreme obesity : Results of KiGGS Wave 2 and trends].

BACKGROUND

The current results of the "German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents" (KiGGS Wave 2, 2014-2017) indicate that the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents in Germany has hardly changed during this period.

OBJECTIVES

What are the current prevalences for the other categories of the BMI distribution (severe underweight, underweight, and extreme obesity) and what changes have occurred between the KiGGS baseline survey (2003-2006) and KiGGS Wave 2 with regard to the BMI categories and the distribution of BMI values?

MATERIALS AND METHODS

KiGGS Wave 2 analyses are based on data from 1762 boys and 1799 girls aged 3 to 17 years with valid measurements of height and weight. The KiGGS baseline survey provides information on 7531 boys and 7215 girls for trend evaluations.

RESULTS

For underweight prevalence as well as for the prevalence of extreme obesity no change over time can be observed. The BMI percentiles also show only minor differences between the two survey periods with a marginal shift of the upper BMI percentiles downwards before puberty and a slight increase after puberty. There is no clear shift in the BMI distribution towards lower BMI values.

DISCUSSION

There are now many activities at the national, regional, and local level that focus on prevention and intervention to reduce overweight and obesity. The marginal shifts in the upper BMI percentiles in the upper BMI percentiles before puberty observed here suggest that some success may have been achieved in obesity prevention among children in Germany.