Time-trends and correlates of obesity in Czech adolescents in relation to family socioeconomic status over a 16-year study period (2002–2018)

Abstract

Background: The main objective of the study is to analyse the changes in the prevalence of obesity among Czech adolescents between 2002 and 2018 with regard to the socioeconomic status (SES) of adolescents' families and to find SES-separated correlates of adolescents' obesity in 2018. Methods: A nationally representative sample of 29,879 adolescents (49.6% of them boys) aged 10.5-16.5 years was drawn from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children cross-sectional, self-reported questionnaire surveys conducted in 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018 in Czechia. Chi-square (χ 2) tests were performed to assess the changes in the prevalence of obesity in both genders and all SES categories of adolescents between 2002 and 2018, and SES category-related differences in the prevalence of obesity in 2018 separately for boys and girls. A series of multiple stepwise logistic regression (backward elimination) analyses were used to reveal obesity correlates separately for SES categories of adolescents. Results: Across the quadrennial surveys from 2002 to 2018, we observed a clear increase in the prevalence of obesity in all SES categories of adolescents, which was most striking (p < 0.05) in adolescents with low SES (boys: + 7.5% points (p.p.); girls + 2.4 p.p.). When all the survey cycles were compared, the highest prevalence of obesity was evident in the low-SES adolescents in 2018, both in girls (5.1%) and boys (12.0%). Regardless of the adolescent SES category, the lower odds of obesity were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with regular vigorous physical activity (PA), participation in organized sport, and daily consumption of sweets. In addition, at least 60 min of moderate-tovigorous PA significantly reduced the odds of obesity in adolescents of low and high SES categories. Conclusions: An unreasonable increase in the prevalence of obesity in adolescents with low SES highlights the need to prevent obesity in adolescents with a low-SES background. Additionally, significantly higher odds of obesity in 11-and 13-year-old adolescents from low-SES families, compared with their peers aged 15, indicated an expectable rise in obesity in older low-SES adolescents in the near future.

The Relationship between Obesity and Physical Activity of Children in the Spotlight of Their Parents’ Excessive Body Weight

“…A gradual decrease in the prevalence of obesity with the increasing participation of children in OLTPA is evident in daughters, sons, and mothers. Many studies point to a positive effect or association between active participation in OLTPA, as well as the reduced adiposity of children and adolescents [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 32 ]. However, fewer studies take into account the weekly frequency of participation in OLTPA [ 7 , 9 , 11 ] or even the mediating influence of parents [ 23 ].…”

“…The participation of children and adolescents in OLTPA in Czechia is the most widespread form of spending on organized leisure time for young people (≥74% for boys and ≥63% for girls [ 5 , 31 ]). However, the trend in the prevalence of obesity in Czech youngsters is still rising [ 32 ], so it is appropriate to examine how the regular participation of children and adolescents in OLTPA is associated with obesity in the context of parental bodyweight levels and PA. To address this research gap, the aim of this study is to determine the relationships between overall daily PA and the prevalence of obesity in family members separated according to the participation of their offspring in OLTPA, as well as to answer the question of whether the regular participation of children in OLTPA is related with a lower prevalence of obesity in offspring with respect to parental PA and bodyweight level. In this study, we will test the hypothesis of whether there is a difference in the prevalence of obesity in offspring without and with regular participation in OLTPA (three or more times per week) in the case of excessive body weight in their parents.…”

Pohybová aktivita, sedavé chování a obezita rodičů a jejich dětí

“…Vyšší šanci výskytu nadváhy/obezity mají děti s nízkou PA (Collings et al, 2013;te Velde et al, 2012), nadměrným "screen time" (Hancox & Poulton, 2006;Hardy et al, 2012;te Velde et al, 2012), nevhodnými stravovacími návyky (Roblin, 2007;van der Horst et al, 2007) a děti rodičů s nízkým vzděláním nebo rodin s nízkým socioekonomickým statusem (Brug et al, 2012;Hancox & Poulton, 2006;van der Horst et al, 2007;van Stralen et al, 2012). Nadváha a obezita je u českých dospívajících úzce asociována s nízkou PA, nadměrným "screen time" a nevhodným stravováním, které jsou moderovány skrze socioekonomický status rodin s 11-15letými adolescenty (Sigmund et al, 2020;Voráčová et al, 2016). Nepříznivější nálezy (vyšší výskyt nadváhy/obezity, nižší PA a méně častá konzumace ovoce a zeleniny) byly mezi lety 2002 až 2014 opakovaně zaznamenávány u mládeže z rodin s nízkým socioekonomickým statusem ve srovnání s dospívajícími z rodin s vysokým socioekonomickým statusem Voráčová et al, 2016).…”

The impacts of multiple obesity-related interventions on quality of life in children and adolescents: a randomized controlled trial

“…Between 1975 and 2016, the percentage of obese adults increased almost threefold [1]. Moreover, the average weight of children had risen over 5 kg within the last 30 years in the United States, with even more rapid increases in low-and middleincome countries between 2002 and 2018 [2][3][4]. In China, approximately 43% of adults and 20% of children are overweight or obese owing to changes in traditional lifestyle such as the increased popularity of Western fast food, declines in the regular practice of physical activity, and increased prevalence of a sedentary lifestyle [5].…”