Age, sex and ethnic differences in the prevalence of underweight and overweight, defined by using the CDC and IOTF cut points in Asian children.
BACKGROUND
No nationally representative data from middle- and low-income countries have been analyzed to compare the prevalence of underweight and overweight, defined by using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the International Obesity TaskForce (IOTF) body mass index cut points.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the consistency in the prevalence of underweight and overweight, defined by using the CDC and IOTF cut points in Chinese, Indonesian and Vietnamese children.


METHODS
We used data from 1600 Chinese, 11 756 Indonesian and 53 826 Vietnamese children aged 2-18 years, who participated in three recent, representative surveys in China, Indonesia and Vietnam. A smaller difference between prevalence and a higher kappa-statistic indicated a higher consistency level.


RESULTS
The prevalence of underweight was higher with the IOTF than the CDC cut points; absolute differences in the Chinese, Indonesian and Vietnamese were 6, 10 and 13% (boys), and 10, 13 and 19% (girls), respectively. The prevalence of overweight was more consistent (absolute differences were <2%, except for the 2-5.9-year-old Chinese and Indonesian children (from 2 to <5%)). Values of kappa-statistic (from 0.55 to 0.88) varied by age, sex and ethnicity. The consistency was gradually improving from the Vietnamese to Indonesians and to Chinese boys and girls, from girls to boys, from the younger to older boys and from the older to younger girls.


CONCLUSIONS
The age, sex and ethnic differences in the prevalence of underweight and overweight suggest a systematic evaluation of the cut points.
Tuan
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NT
Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, USDA/ARS, Children's Nutrition Research Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA. ttn1@bcm.edu
Nicklas
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TA
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D044466:Asian People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007214:Indonesia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology*; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012016:Reference Values; D012737:Sex Factors; D013851:Thinness / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States; D014744:Vietnam / Q000453:epidemiology