title: The prevalence of overweight and obesity in Indigenous kindergarten children--a cross sectional population based study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study investigated the prevalence of overweight and obese Indigenous kindergarten children in the Australian Capital Territory.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective analysis was performed on data collected as part of the Kindergarten Health Check, a cross sectional population based survey conducted in the ACT from 2004 to 2008.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of overweight and obesity was statistically significantly higher among Indigenous (18%) compared to non-Indigenous kindergarten children (14%) (p=0.02, OR=1.40, 95% CI=1.051-1.862). Ten percent of parents of normal weight children, and 16% of parents of overweight or obese children, reported concerns about weight and eating habits, with no significant difference between Indigenous and non-Indigenous parents.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The low level of parental concern about obesity suggests that general practitioners should persist with screening for, and managing, overweight and obesity in kindergarten-aged children in similar jurisdictions on a proactive basis.
authors.affiliation: ANU Medical School, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hickie
authors.forename: Kirsty
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Douglas
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ciszek
mesh_terms: D020958:Australian Capital Territory / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D044382:Population Groups; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies