Prevalence and Trends of Overweight and Obesity in European Children From 1999 to 2016

Abstract

IMPORTANCE Studies of trends in excess weight among European children throughout the last few decades have rendered mixed results. Additionally, some studies were outdated, were based on self-reported weight and height, or included only a few European countries.OBJECTIVE To assess prevalence trends in measured overweight and obesity among children across Europe from 1999 to 2016 using a systematic methodology.DATA SOURCES MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and Web of Science were searched from their inception until May 2018. Moreover, searches were conducted on health institutions' websites to identify studies not published in scientific journals. STUDY SELECTIONThe inclusion criteria were: (1) studies reporting the population-based prevalence of excess weight (overweight plus obesity) or obesity according to body mass index cutoffs proposed by the International Obesity Task Force; (2) cross-sectional or follow-up studies; and (3) studies including populations aged 2 to 13 years.DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS Literature review and data extraction followed established guidelines. The Mantel-Haenszel method was used to compute the pooled prevalence estimates and their 95% CI whenever there was no evidence of heterogeneity (I 2 < 50%); otherwise, the DerSimonian and Laird random-effects method was used. Subgroup analyses by study year, country, or European region (Atlantic, Iberian, Central, and Mediterranean) were conducted. Prevalence estimates were calculated as an aggregate mean, weighted by the sample size and the number of individuals in each study. RESULTS A total of 103 studies (477 620 children aged 2 to 13 years) with data from 28 countries were included. The combined prevalence of overweight and obesity in the Iberian region tended to decrease from 30.3% (95% CI, 28.3%-32.3%) to 25.6% (95% CI, 19.7%-31.4%) but tended to increase in the Mediterranean region from 22.9% (95% CI, 17.9%-27.9%) to 25.0% (95% CI, 14.5%-35.5%). No substantial changes were observed in Atlantic Europe or Central Europe, where the overweight and obesity prevalence changed from 18.3% (95% CI, 14.0%-23.9%) to 19.3% (95% CI, 17.7%-20.9%) and from 15.8% (95% CI, 13.4%-18.5%) to 15.3% (95% CI, 11.6%-20.3%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCEThe prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity is very high, but trends have stabilized in most European countries. There are substantial between-country differences in the current levels and trends of overweight and obesity. The rising prevalence in some Mediterranean countries is worrisome.

Weight Development Between Age 5 And 10 Years And Its Associations With Dietary Patterns At Age 5 In The ABCD Cohort

“…Aditionally we examined weight development per ethnic and SES groep, stratified by BMI category at age 5. We observed a conversion to normal weight in most groups, which is not in line with a study in [6][7][8][9][10][11][12] year old Norwegian children, where they found that overweight children tended to gain more weight than normal-weight children [24]. But the conversion to normal weight differed per ethnic and SES group.…”

“…In recent years, research and Public Health has focussed on the high prevalence of obesity and overweight among children, mainly present in ethnic minority and lower Socio-economic (SES) groups [1,2,3,4]. Concurrently, there is evidence of a growing prevalence of underweight in children of native origin in high-income countries [5,6]. Although it is not clear how important this trend is for clinical practice, both underweight and overweight/obesity are a risk factor for health problems in later life [7,8].…”

“…Studying the total range of weight development in high-income countries is a relatively new focus in Public Health research and studies are lacking. Based on the observation that underweight is increasing in prevalence in Europe [5,6], it is important to also consider how this tracks in childhood and whether it is asociated with ethnicity and/or SES. Earlier results in the ABCD cohort showed that both ethnicity and SES were related to different dietary patterns at age 5 [17].…”

Clusters of diet, physical activity, television exposure and sleep habits and their association with adiposity in preschool children: the EDEN mother-child cohort

“…The overweight and obesity (OW-OB) epidemic spread rapidly in the 1990s and now affects increasingly younger children [1]. This matters because obese children are more likely to become obese adults and experience adverse health consequences [2].…”

The Association between Salt Taste Perception, Mediterranean Diet and Metabolic Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…The Mediterranean region displays a particularly worrisome trend in childhood obesity. A recent study showed an increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity from 22.9% in 1999 to 25.0% in 2016 among children aged 2 to 13 years in the Mediterranean part of Europe [15]. One of the explanations for this trend is departure from the traditional lifestyle and Mediterranean diet, especially in younger people from Mediterranean countries [16,17].…”