A five-year trend of increasing obesity among elementary schoolchildren in multiethnic, low-income, inner-city neighborhoods in Montreal, Canada.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the prevalence of overweight and obesity over 5 y among inner-city elementary schoolchildren aged 10-12 y in multiethnic, low-income neighborhoods in Montreal, Canada.


METHODS
Height and weight of all students in grades 4-6 in 16 control schools participating in an evaluation of the impact of a school-based heart health promotion program, were measured each May/June from 1993 to 1997 in cross-sectional classroom-based school surveys.


RESULTS
The prevalence of overweight (> or = 85th age- and gender-specific percentile for body mass index (BMI) from NHANES I and II) was 35.9% in 1993; it increased by approximately 1.3% per year. The prevalence of obesity (> or = 95th age- and gender-specific percentile for BMI from NHANES I and II) was 15.9% in 1993; it increased by approximately 1.0% per year. In multivariate models predicting overweight and obesity, the odds ratios for year adjusted for age, sex, and family ethnic origin were 1.08 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.04-1.12), and 1.09 (95%CI, 1.04-1.15), respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
There were significant secular trends of increasing overweight and obesity among young inner-city schoolchildren from the early to late 1990s. Preventive intervention is clearly indicated because childhood obesity tracks to adulthood and because obesity is associated with substantial morbidity, mortality and health care costs.
O'Loughlin
J
J
Department of Public Health, Régie régionale de la santé et des services sociaux de Montréal-Centre, Quebec, Canada. joloug@po-box.mcgill.ca
Paradis
G
G
Meshefedjian
G
G
Gray-Donald
K
K
D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000639:trends*; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D015995:Prevalence; D011792:Quebec / Q000453:epidemiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014504:Urban Health / Q000639:trends*; D015430:Weight Gain