Abstract
Objective: To describe recent trends in overweight and obese schoolchildren in Taiwan using international cut-off points. Design: Three independent cross-sectional surveys were used. Participants: The study enrolled 157 485 students in 1991, 130 770 students in 1997 and 72 789 students in 2003, all aged 6-18 years, from elementary schools, secondary high schools and senior vocational high schools Results: The prevalence of overweight and obese students increased significantly between 1991 and 2003. During this period, the percentage of male overweight and obese students increased from 5.7% to 14.2% and from 7.9% to 17.4%, respectively. The prevalence of female overweight and obese students increased from 11.1% to 13.4% and from 3.1% to 4.1%, respectively. Covariance analysis indicates that both sexes in 2003 had significantly higher percentages of overweight and obese subjects than those in 1991 and 1997 (p
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 176-185 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Annals of Human Biology |
Volume | 36 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Mar 2009 |
Keywords
- Body mass index
- Children
- Obesity
- Overweight
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Genetics
- Physiology
- Ageing
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Epidemiology