PREVALENCE OF OBESITY AND BEING OVERWEIGHT IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS
Currently, child obesity is the most common nutritional disorder in developed countries.
According to the most recent studies of the paediatric population of the United States (NHANES study) that compares the prevalence of obesity between the years 1988-1994 and 1999-2002, shows that obesity has gone from 7.2 to 10.3% in children age 2-5, from 11.3 to 15.8% in ages 6-11 and 10.5-16.1% in adolescents age 12-19; including a prevalence of being overweight of 22.6, 31.2 and 30.9% in those age groups previously mentioned. In addition, there has not been a decline in these numbers in recent years.
The presence of obesity and being overweight in the paediatric age group is a known risk factor for the development of obesity in adulthood; close to 67% of obese children continue to be obese adults. Therefore, these cases are more susceptible to greater incidence of severe illness (diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, etc.) and a reduction in life expectancy.
In Europe, the prevalence of being overweight in children age 7-11 fluctuates between 10-35%, and in the most recent studies in Spain, it has been found that the obesity level is at 13.9%. If obesity and being overweight are combined the prevalence elevates to 26.4% in children and adolescents.
There are periods of greater risk for the development of obesity in children and adolescents. The first period is between 4-8 years old (the period of adipose rebound), the greatest risk being when this rebound happens earlier. The second period is puberty because of hormonal causes, but also because of the psychological characteristics of children at this age.