UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Ethnic group differences in overweight and obese children and young people in England: cross sectional survey

Saxena, S; Ambler, G; Cole, TJ; Majeed, A; (2004) Ethnic group differences in overweight and obese children and young people in England: cross sectional survey. ARCH DIS CHILD , 89 (1) 30 - 36. Green open access

[thumbnail of 14492.pdf]
Preview
PDF
14492.pdf

Download (75kB)

Abstract

Aims: To determine the percentage of children and young adults who are obese or overweight within different ethnic and socioeconomic groups.Methods: Secondary analysis of data on 5689 children and young adults aged 2 - 20 years from the 1999 Health Survey for England.Results: Twenty three per cent of children (n = 1311) were overweight, of whom 6% ( n = 358) were obese. More girls than boys were overweight ( 24% v 22%). Afro-Caribbean girls were more likely to be overweight ( odds ratio 1.73, 95% CI 1.29 to 2.33), and Afro-Caribbean and Pakistani girls were more likely to be obese than girls in the general population ( odds ratios 2.74 ( 95% CI 1.74 to 4.31) and 1.71 ( 95% CI 1.06 to 2.76), respectively). Indian and Pakistani boys were more likely to be overweight ( odds ratios 1.55 ( 95% CI 1.12 to 2.17) and 1.36 ( 95% CI 1.01 to 1.83), respectively). There were no significant differences in the prevalence of obese and overweight children from different social classes.Conclusion: The percentage of children and young adults who are obese and overweight differs by ethnic group and sex, but not by social class. British Afro-Caribbean and Pakistani girls have an increased risk of being obese and Indian and Pakistani boys have an increased risk of being overweight than the general population. These individuals may be at greater combined cumulative risk of morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease and so may be a priority for initiatives to target groups of children at particular risk of obesity.

Type: Article
Title: Ethnic group differences in overweight and obese children and young people in England: cross sectional survey
Identifier: PMID: 14709498
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
Keywords: SOCIAL-CLASS GRADIENTS, BRITISH CHILDREN, PREVALENCE, CHILDHOOD, EPIDEMIC, COHORT, TRENDS, WEIGHT, HEIGHT, GROWTH
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Primary Care and Population Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health > Population, Policy and Practice Dept
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Statistical Science
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/14492
Downloads since deposit
1,236Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item