Increasing prevalences of overweight and obesity in Northern Plains American Indian children.
OBJECTIVE
To report prevalences of overweight and obesity in a large sample of American Indian children from a survey in 2002-2003, and to evaluate the change in prevalences since 1995-1996 when children on the same reservations were measured.


METHODS
Analysis of survey data.


METHODS
Aberdeen Area Indian Health Service (North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska).


METHODS
A total of 11 538 American Indian children (aged 5-17 years) attending 55 schools on 12 reservations.


METHODS
Height and weight measured during the 2002-2003 school year by the same team as in the earlier survey. Prevalences of overweight (> or =85th percentile) and obesity (> or =95th percentile) were calculated on the basis of body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth charts.


RESULTS
At 5 years of age, 47% of boys and 41% of girls were overweight, and 24% of the children were obese. Prevalences of overweight and obesity exceeded those for the most recent available data for all US children at almost every age. In the intervening 7 to 8 years between surveys, prevalences of overweight and obesity continued to increase in the children by 4.5% and 4.3%, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Prevalences of overweight and obesity in the most recent sample of American Indian children indicate that they are at even higher risk for these conditions and their health-related sequelae than the best estimates for all US children, with prevalences as high as or higher than those for any other racial or ethnic groups of children reported in the most recent national surveys.
Zephier
Elenora
E
Aberdeen Area Indian Health Service, Aberdeen, SD, USA.
Himes
John H
JH
Story
Mary
M
Zhou
Xia
X
D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American; D008297:Male; D015146:Midwestern United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution