title: Prevalence of overweight and obesity in children aged 6-13 years-alarming increase in obesity in Cracow, Poland.
abstract: This study in children aged 6-13 years (n = 1,499) was performed between October 2008 and March 2009. Height and weight measurements were taken to calculate BMI. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was determined by means of IOTF cut-offs with respect to age. Alarming is the fact that the percentage of obese children in Cracow increased dramatically from 1.04% in boys and 0.20% in girls in 1971 to 7% in boys and 3.6% in girls in 2009. In this report, a higher percentage of overweight boys was observed in rural boys (28.14%) than in urban ones (27.31%). Obesity was identified in an almost twice as high percentage of urban boys (7.78%) as in rural ones (3.52%). A higher percentage of overweight girls was registered in rural areas (16.49%) than in urban ones (16.09%). Obesity was prevailing in rural girls (4.12%) relative to their urban counterparts (3.44%). The highest number of overweight urban boys was diagnosed in the group of 12-year-olds (n = 48) and rural boys in the group of 10-year-olds (n = 39), as well as in urban girls aged 11 (n = 17) and rural girls aged 9 (n = 9). The highest number of obesity was observed in rural boys aged 12 (n = 3) and in urban boys aged 9 and 10 (n = 9 in both groups). In the group of girls, obesity prevailed in urban 9-year-olds (n = 5) and in rural 7-year-olds (n = 5).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overweight and obesity affect boys almost twice as frequently as girls. Obesity is twice as frequent in urban boys as in their rural peers.
authors: Orthopedics Rehabilitation Department, Faculty of Motor Rehabilitation, The Bronisław Czech University of Physical Education, Kraków, Poland.
authors: Aneta
authors: A
authors: Bac
authors: Renata
authors: R
authors: Woźniacka
authors: Stanislaw
authors: S
authors: Matusik
authors: Joanna
authors: J
authors: Golec
authors: Edward
authors: E
authors: Golec
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012423:Rural Health; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014504:Urban Health