An Assessment of Adolescent Overweight and Obesity in Xi’an City, China

Citation

Li, Ming; Dibley, Michael J.; Sibbritt, David; & Yan, Hong (2006). An Assessment of Adolescent Overweight and Obesity in Xi'an City, China. International Journal of Pediatric Obesity, 1, 50-58.

Abstract

Objectives. To assess the magnitude of overweight and obesity, and its associated socio-demographic factors in adolescents in Xian city, China. Methods. A total of 1804 adolescents attending junior high schools in Xian City (age: 11–17 years) were included in this cross-sectional study. Body mass index using IOTF cut-offs defined overweight and obesity. Socio-demographic information was collected from the parents of the survey participants using self-administered, structured and pre-coded questionnaires. Results. Overall, 16.3% of adolescents were overweight or obese, but there was a marked gender difference in the prevalence with 19.4% (95% CI: 15.6%–23.7%) of boys versus 13.2% (95% CI: 10.0%–16.4%) of the girls being overweight or obese. In a multivariate model, age, residence, household wealth, and parents’ body mass index were significantly associated with being overweight/obese (p <0.05). After adjusting for age and gender, the odds of an adolescent being overweight or obese was 2.7 times (95% CI: 1.8–4.0) higher in urban areas compared to rural areas; and 1.6 times (95% CI: 1.04–2.5) higher for adolescents from rich compared to poor families. An adolescent with one or both parents being overweight was 1.8 times (95% CI: 1.3–2.5) more likely to be overweight themselves compared to those with normal weight parents. Conclusions. 1) Overweight and obesity is a major public health problem in adolescents in Xian City and is likely to increase rapidly in the near future; 2) Overweight and obesity is more prevalent in younger boys from richer families living in urban districts and whose parents were either overweight or obese.

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17477160500538046

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year Published

2006

Journal Title

International Journal of Pediatric Obesity

Author(s)

Li, Ming
Dibley, Michael J.
Sibbritt, David
Yan, Hong