Reversal of the Upward Trend of Obesity in Boys, but Not in Girls, in Spain

Background: To compare the prevalence of overweight and obesity in boys and girls and to estimate socioeconomic differences associated with obesity in Spain in 1997, 2007, and 2017. (2) Methods: Data were drawn from national health interview surveys. For each year of study, the prevalence of overwei...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Albaladejo Vicente, Romana, Villanueva Orbaiz, M. Rosa Rita, Carabantes Alarcón, David, Santos Sancho, Juana María, Jiménez García, Rodrigo, Regidor Poyatos, Enrique
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repositorio:Docta Complutense
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/6921
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/6921
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Prevention
Diabetes
Overweight
Obesity
Children
Prevalence
Surveys
Dietética y nutrición (Medicina)
Endocrinología
Nutrición
3206 Ciencias de la Nutrición
3205.02 Endocrinología
Descripción
Sumario:Background: To compare the prevalence of overweight and obesity in boys and girls and to estimate socioeconomic differences associated with obesity in Spain in 1997, 2007, and 2017. (2) Methods: Data were drawn from national health interview surveys. For each year of study, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was measured, and these results were compared by gender (boy/girl) and socioeconomic status (low/high education). (3) Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity rose from 1997 to 2007 but then fell in 2017 in all subgroups except in girls aged 10 to 15 years. In this group, there was a steady increase in the prevalence of both overweight (1997, 14.6%; 2007, 17.7%; 2017, 19.6%) and obesity (1.1, 3.2, and 3.7%, respectively). The decrease in prevalence of overweight in both sexes and of obesity in boys, along with the increase in prevalence of obesity in girls, was of a higher magnitude in children whose parents had a lower educational level. (4) Conclusions: The apparent turnaround in the obesity epidemic in Spain should be interpreted with caution. Children’s body weight is influenced by both gender and socioeconomic status—considerations that should be kept in mind when designing health promotion interventions