Sex differences in prevalence of overweight and obesity, and in extent of overweight index, in children and adolescents (3-18 years) from Krakow, Poland in 1983, 2000 and 2010

Objective: The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity among children is now an important health problem. This fact, however, does not reflect the scale of the problem. The aim of the present study was to find how much the BMI threshold was exceeded in a population from Krakow. Design: The study was based on three cross-sectional surveys conducted in 1983, 2000 and 2010. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was estimated based on the International Obesity Task Force cut-off points. In addition to these, an extent of overweight (EOW) index was calculated. Setting: Poland. Subjects: Children aged 3-18 years (n 14 534) from Krakow. Results: Between the populations examined in 1983 and 2010, the EOW index in boys rose by almost 10 %, and the prevalence of overweight and obesity by 39 %. In girls, however, the EOW index decreased by 45 %, while the prevalence of overweight and obesity remained at similar levels. Analyses in separate age groups showed that the EOW index increased only among early adolescents (150 % for boys, 94 % for girls) and late adolescents (390 % and 64 %, respectively). Conclusions: The observed increased prevalence of overweight and obesity mainly concerned boys and was accompanied by an increase in the amount by which the BMI threshold values were exceeded.