title: Prevalence and factors associated with overweight and obesity in French primary-school children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of, and identify associated factors with, overweight and obesity in two samples of French children.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted two cross-sectional studies among two samples of children. Weight status, eating behaviour, sedentary activity, physical activity and parents' socio-economic status (SES) were collected using questionnaires filled by doctors during school health check-ups. Overweight and obesity were defined according to the age- and sex-specific BMI cut-off points of the International Obesity Taskforce. Multivariate analysis (logistic regression) was used to identify independent factors associated with overweight including obesity and obesity alone.
  
  
  METHODS
  Aquitaine region (south-west France).
  
  
  METHODS
  Analyses were conducted among children aged 5-7 years (n 4048) and 7-11 years (n 3619).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overweight prevalence was 9·5 % including 2·2 % of obesity in 5-7-year-old children and 15·6 % including 2·9 % of obesity in 7-11-year-old children. In both samples, overweight and obesity prevalence were higher in children whose parents had low or medium SES (P < 0·05). Factors associated significantly (P < 0·05) and independently with higher overweight or obesity prevalence were female gender, low or medium parental SES, never or sometimes having breakfast, never eating at the school canteen, never having a morning snack, never or sometimes having a light afternoon meal and having high sedentary activity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data confirm that low SES, absence of breakfast and high sedentary activity are associated with a higher risk of being overweight or obese, but also highlight original potential protective factors such as eating at the canteen and high meal frequency.
authors.affiliation: Univ. Bordeaux, ISPED, Centre INSERM U897-Epidemiologie-Biostatistique, F-33000 Bordeaux, France. HeleneThibault@aol.com
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Thibault
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carriere
authors.forename: Coralie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Langevin
authors.forename: Edouard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kossi Déti
authors.forename: Pascale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Barberger-Gateau
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maurice
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D062407:Meals; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012574:Schools; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires