Changes in overweight in youth over a period of 7 years: impact of ethnicity, gender and socioeconomic status.
OBJECTIVE
To examine changes in overweight in youth over a period of 7 years, within the context of ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status (SES).


METHODS
Participants in a longitudinal study of cardiovascular (CV) risk factor development were evaluated on 2 occasions an average of 7.2 +/- 0.5 years apart. There were 253 subjects (121 Blacks, 132 Whites, 130 females) with a mean age of 8.8 +/- 2.0 years at the initial visit. SES was determined by Hollingshead Social Status Index and was categorized as low, middle (+/-1 standard deviation from mean), and high. Overweight was defined as >85th percentile in Body Mass Index (BMI) for age and gender (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey [NHANES] norms).


RESULTS
Standardized BMI increased significantly over the course of the study (P<.001). The increase was not significantly different by ethnicity or by gender (both P values>.05) but did significantly differ by SES (P<.001). Overall, the prevalence of overweight increased from 31% to 40% (P<.001); however, for those with low SES, the prevalence increased from 37% to 67% (P<.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Lower SES youth, regardless of ethnicity or gender, exhibited extremely large increases in general adiposity over time and are at particular risk for development of a number of obesity-related problems, such as hypertension. Primary prevention of obesity is needed in youth, particularly among those from low SES backgrounds.
Moore
Donna B
DB
Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta 30912, USA. dmoore@mail.mcg.edu
Howell
Patricia B
PB
Treiber
Frank A
FA
D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017677:Age Distribution; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011336:Probability; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data