Skip to main content

Table 1 Examples of international obesity rates; different definitions, ages and dates – males and females

From: Gendered dimensions of obesity in childhood and adolescence

Country

Survey/data

Definition

Age(s)

Date(s)

% males

% females

Reference

North America

       

United States

National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys

US National Center for Health Statistics (1979) weight for length (children younger than 3) and weight for stature curves > 95th percentile

< 1

1976–80

4.0

6.2

Ogden, Troiano & Briefel et al, 1997 [134]

    

1988–94

7.5

10.8

 
   

4–5

1976–80

4.4

7.6

 
    

1988–94

5.0

10.8

 

United States

National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys

US Centers for Disease Control 2000 charts (CDC 2000) [135], >= 95th percentile

6–11

1976–80

6.6

6.4

Baskin, Ard & Franklin et al, 2005 [136]

    

1999–2002

16.9

14.7

 
   

12–19

1976–80

4.8

5.3

 
    

1999–2002

16.7

15.4

 

Canada

Nationally representative surveys (1981 Canada Fitness Survey; 1996 National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth)

International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) [137] 'obesity'

7–13

1981

2.0

2.0

Tremblay, Katzmarzyk & Willms, 2002 [138]

    

1996

10.0

9.0

 

Trinidad and Tobago

Nationally representative cross-sectional schools-based survey

IOTF 'obesity'

5–6

1999

1.7

2.4

Gulliford, Mahabir Rocke et al (2001) [139]

   

8–9

 

3.0

2.5

 

Martinique

Schools-based surveys

IOTF 'obesity'

14

1999

6.3

4.8

Benefice, Caiius & Garnier (2003) [140]

South America

       

Chile

School census data

IOTF 'obesity'

6

1987

1.8

2.1

Kain, Uauy & Vio et al, 2002 [141]

    

2000

7.2

7.5

 
  

CDC 2000 >= 95th percentile

6

1987

5.1

4.0

 
    

2000

14.7

15.8

 

Mexico

Schools-based surveys

CDC 2000 >= 95th percentile

11–14

1998–99

12.9

10.8

Salazar-Martinez, Allen & Fernandez-Ortega et al (2006) [142]

   

15–19

 

8.0

4.9

 

Australia

       

Australia

National surveys (1985 Australian Health & Fitness Survey; 1995 National Nutrition Survey)

IOTF 'obesity'

7–11

1985

1.5

1.9

Magarey, Daniels & Boulton, 2001 [143]

    

1995

3.7

6.3

 
   

12–15

1985

1.9

1.3

 
    

1995

6.1

4.4

 

Europe

       

England

National Study of Health and Growth (independent cross-sectional surveys)

IOTF 'obesity'

4–11

1974

1.4

1.5

Chinn & Rona, 2001 [144]

    

1994

1.7

2.6

 

Scotland

   

1974

1.7

1.9

 
    

1994

2.1

3.2

 

England

Health Survey for England

United Kingdom (UK90) charts [145] >= 95th percentile

2–10

1995

9.6

10.3

National Health Service Information Centre, 2006 [146]

    

2004

16.2

11.9

 
   

11–15

1995

13.5

15.4

 
    

2004

23.7

26.2

 

Scotland

Scottish Health Survey

UK90 >= 95th percentile

12–15

1998

15.6

15.2

Scottish Public Health Observatory, 2007 [147]

    

2003

20.9

14.7

 

Northern Ireland

Schools-based surveys

IOTF 'obesity'

12

1989–90

4.0

1.6

Watkins, Murray & McCarron et al, 2005 [148]

    

2000

4.7

4.7

 
   

15

1989–90

0.4

3.9

 
    

2000

3.1

4.8

 

France

Schools-based surveys

IOTF 'obesity'

7–9

2000

3.9

3.6

Rolland-Cachera, Casetbon & Arnault et al, 2002 [149]

  

CDC 2000 >= 95th percentile

  

7.5

5.2

 

Spain

Cross-sectional surveys in randomly selected schools

IOTF 'obesity'

6–14

1980

1.5

1.4

Moreno, 2001 [150]

    

1995

2.1

3.3

 

Portugal

Schools-based surveys

IOTF' obesity'

7–9

2002–03

10.3

12.3

Padez, Fernandes & Mourao, 2004 [151]

Italy

Schools-based surveys in North (N) and South (S) Italy

IOTF 'obesity'

2–6

2002

5.7 (N)

5.8 (N)

Maffeis, Consolaro & Cavarzere et al, 2006 [152]

     

12.3 (S)

10.7 (S)

 

Sicily, Italy

Schools-based surveys

IOTF 'obesity'

11

1999–2001

13.1

10.7

Baratta, Degano & Leonardi et al, 2006 [153]

   

15

 

7.2

5.0

 

Greece

Schools-based surveys

IOTF 'obesity'

6–11

1994

9.4

8.3

Papadimitriou, Kounadi & Konstantinidou et al, 2006 [154]

    

2005

12.3

9.9

 

Greece

Schools-based surveys

IOTF 'obesity'

7–10

2002–03 *

16.0

13.4

Tokmakidis, Kasambalis & Christodoulos, 2006 [155]

Finland

Nationally representative Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey

IOTF 'obesity'

12

1977

2.0

0.9

Kautiainen, 2005 [156]

    

2003

3.1

1.9

 
   

16

1977

0.8

0.3

 
    

2003

4.2

2.1

 

Denmark

Nationally representative samples

IOTF 'obesity'

14–16

1971–72

0.4

0.9

Kautiainen, 2005 [156]

    

1996–97

2.0

2.6

 

East Germany

Schools-based surveys

IOTF 'obesity'

5–7

1992–93

4.7

3.5

Frye & Heinrich, 2003 [157]

    

1998–99

2.7

4.8

 
   

11–14

1992–93

2.8

3.5

 
    

1998–99

7.1

7.9

 

Poland

Schools-based surveys

IOTF 'obesity'

7–9

2001

3.6

3.7

Malecka-Tendera, Klimek & Matusik et al, 2005 [158]

Russia

Nationally representative household survey

IOTF 'obesity'

6–9

1992

9.5

11.2

Wang & Wang, 2002 [159]

   

10–18

 

2.4

1.3

 
  

US Must, Dallal & Dietz 1991 (MDD) charts [160], >= 95th percentile

6–9

 

13.2

15.9

 
   

10–18

 

3.1

1.6

 

Russia

Nationally representative household surveys

CDC 2000 >= 95th percentile

7–13

1995

6.2

3.0

Tudor-Locke, Ainsworth & Popkin, in press [161]

    

2002

4.2

3.1

 

Africa

       

Egypt

Schools-based surveys

CDC 2000 >= 95th percentile

11–14

1997

6.6

7.6

Salazar-Martinez, Allen & Fernandez-Ortega et al, 2006 [142]

   

15–19

 

5.9

8.6

 

Senegal

Survey of members of birth cohort

IOTF 'obesity'

12–17

1998–2000

0.0

0.0

Benefice, Caiius & Garnier, 2003 [140]

South Africa

Primary School Surveys

IOTF 'obesity'

8

1994–95

0.4

0.6

Jinabhai, Taylor & Sullivan, 2003 [162]

Asia

       

Saudi Arabia

Cross-sectional survey of children from randomly selected households

IOTF 'obesity'

1–18

1994–98

6.0

6.7

El-Hazmi & Warsy, 2002 [163]

Qatar

Schools-based surveys

MDD >= 95th percentile

7

2002

1.6

5.4

Qotba & Al-Isa, 2007 [164]

Bahrain

Schools-based surveys

IOTF 'obesity'

12–17

2000

14.9

17.9

Al-Sendi, Shetty & Musaiger, 2003 [165]

  

MDD >= 95th percentile

  

16.5

20.2

 

Japan

Annual cross-sectional household surveys

IOTF 'obesity'

6–8

1976–80

1.8

1.8

Matsushita, Yoshiike & Kaneda et al, 2004 [166]

    

1996–2000

4.6

4.6

 
   

12–14

1976–80

1.0

0.5

 
    

1996–2000

2.7

1.0

 

Korea

National survey

>120% ideal body weight

0–19

2001

15.1

10.2

Kim, Ahn & Nam, 2005 [167]

Taiwan

Schools-based surveys

>120% ideal body weight

12–15

1980–82

12.4

10.1

Chu, 2001 [168]

    

1994–96

16.4

11.1

 

China – Beijing

Schools-based surveys in Beijing (B) and Shanghai (S)

BMI classification reference provided by Working Group on Obesity in China

7–18

1985

1.2 (B)

1.1 (B)

Ji, 2007 [169]

     

1.1 (S)

0.4 (S)

 
    

2000

10.0 (B)

5.2 (B)

 
     

7.2 (S)

4.1 (S)

 

China

Schools-based surveys

IOTF 'obesity'

13–14

2002

2.6

1.5

Xie, Chou & Spruijt-Metz et al, 2007 [170]

   

16–17

 

4.3

1.0

 

China

Schools-based surveys

IOTF 'obesity'

11–17

2004

5.0

2.1

Li, Dibley & Sibbritt et al, 2006 [32]

Punjab, India

Schools-based surveys of children from affluent families

IOTF 'obesity'

6–11

2002 *

5.9

6.3

Sidhu, Kaur & Kaur, 2006 [171]

India

Schools-based surveys

Triceps skinfold thickness >= 90th percentile

9–15

1998 *

12.4

9.9

Chhatwal, Verma & Kaur, 2004 [172]

  1. * survey dates provided by authors (personal communication).
Back to article page

Nutrition Journal

ISSN: 1475-2891

Contact us