Secular changes in fatness and fat distribution in Australian children matched for body size.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate secular trends in waist girth and skinfold measures among Australian children from 1985 and 1997/2002, matched for body size.


METHODS
A total of 2604 children (10-12 years old) measured in the 1985 Australian Health and Fitness Survey and in two later surveys of South Australian schoolchildren (1997/2002), were matched for age, stature, weight and body mass index (BMI). Measurements. The matched children were compared by ANOVA on waist and hip girths, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and abdominal and triceps skinfolds, taken by trained anthropometrists.


RESULTS
Between the survey periods, there were significant increases in waist girth, WHR, and the two skinfold measures, but more so for abdominal skinfold. The differences in abdominal skinfold, waist girth and WHR were greater for girls than boys.


CONCLUSIONS
In Australian children matched for body size, there have been increases in measures of fatness and central adiposity over the last 20 years. This suggests that reported secular trends in BMI may be under-estimating the looming public health crisis.
Dollman
James
J
School of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia. james.dollman@unisa.edu.au
Olds
Timothy Stephen
TS
D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D050218:Body Fat Distribution / Q000639:trends*; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D013997:Time Factors; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio / Q000639:trends