The prevalence of overweight and obesity and body mass index distribution among children aged 7 to 17 years in Guiyang city

Objectives To study the prevalence of overweight and obesity and body mass index ( BMI) distribution among children aged 7 to 17 years in Guiyang city, and provide basic information on children's nutrition and health education. Methods A total of 8616 primary and middle school students aged 7 to 17 years in 7 schools in Guiyang city were selected by random group sampling. The weight and height were measured, and the was calculated. The overweight and obesity children were screened by using the BMI reference for screening overweight and obesity in Chinese children and adolescents which was set up by the Working Group on Obesity in China (WGOC). Results The P85 and P95 percentiles of in boys showed a trend of increase compared with WGOC criteria for overweight and obesity, while the P85 and P95 percentile of in girls indicated no change. The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 12.5% and 8.4% respectively ( 15.0% and 8.4% for boys, and 9.9% and 5.2% for girls) . The prevalence of overweight and obesity in boys were significantly higher than in girls ( P ﹤ 0.01) . Conclusions The prevalence of overweight and obesity in children in Guiyang city has increased progressively. More attention should be paid to prevent and control child overweight and obesity.