Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #110887

Michael Huerta, MD, MPH, Michael Gdalevich, MD, MPH, Jacob Haviv, MD, MPH, Haim Bibi, MD, and Shimon Scharf, MD, MPH. Barzilai Medical Center, Ashkelon District Health Office, Ashkelon, 78306, Israel, 972-8-6745153, mhuerta@netvision.net.il

In a series of four cross-sectional cluster-sample surveys conducted in Israel between 1990 and 2000, we analyzed secular trends in the distribution of childhood BMI measurements, assessed the proportion of obese children, and investigated the effects of immigration on these outcomes. Overall, 13,284 second- and fifth-grade schoolchildren were surveyed. Age- and gender-specific BMI means and centiles were calculated for each study period, and the proportion of obese children was calculated using both Israeli and US reference values. The BMI value at the 95th centile increased monotonously over time in all age and gender categories. When compared to the 95th centile values of 1990, the 2000 values were 12.7% and 11.8% higher for second grade boys and girls, respectively. Among fifth grade boys and girls, the 2000 values were 10.2% and 8.4% higher than in 1990. Among second graders, the value which marked the 5% most overweight children in 1990 was exceeded by 11.4% of boys and girls in 2000. Among fifth graders, 10.7% of the boys and 11.1% of the girls in 2000 exceeded BMI values previously attained by only 5% of children their age ten years earlier (P for comparisons <0.001). The proportion of obese children increased over time according to both Israeli and US reference values. Country of birth and time since immigration were not associated with an increased risk of obesity. Our data demonstrate that appropriate and effective public health planning and intervention require collection and analysis of population-specific obesity data.

Learning Objectives: During this session, the participant will

(
• identify time trends in obesity among Israeli school children; (
• recognize the importance of historic BMI values in the evaluation of trends in obesity; (
• recognize the importance in determining local 95th centile BMI reference values.

Keywords: Obesity, Children and Adolescents

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.