WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative: body mass index and level of overweight among 6–9-year-old children from school year 2007/2008 to school year 2009/2010

Wijnhoven, Trudy MA; van Raaij, Joop MA; Spinelli, Angela; Starc, Gregor; Hassapidou, Maria; Spiroski, Igor; Rutter, Harry; Martos, Éva; Rito, Ana I; Hovengen, Ragnhild; Pérez-Farinós, Napoleón; Petrauskiene, Ausra; Eldin, Nazih; Braeckevelt, Lien; Pudule, Iveta; Kunešová, Marie; Breda, João

doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-806

Table 4 Prevalence of overweight (including obesity) and obesity in boys and girls aged 6–9 years in COSI Round 2 (2009/2010), by age and country

From: WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative: body mass index and level of overweight among 6–9-year-old children from school year 2007/2008 to school year 2009/2010

Age group and country^‡	Prevalence of overweight (including obesity)				Prevalence of obesity
	WHO definition^#		IOTF definition^*		WHO definition^#		IOTF definition^*
	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls
	%
6-year-olds°	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†
BEL	18.0^a	18.2^a	10.8^a	15.1^a	5.8^a	5.2^a	2.8^a	4.2^a
SVN	23.5^b	21.7^b	16.5^b	18.3^b	10.0^b	6.8^b	5.2^b	5.8^b
ESP	38.2^c	34.5^c	25.6^c	30.0^c	15.1^c	12.8^c	8.7^c	9.9^c
7-year-olds°°	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†
BEL	23.1^a	24.1^a	15.4^a	20.3^a	9.5^a	8.5^ab	5.1^a	6.8^ab
CZE	24.4^ab	23.7^a	17.5^ab	19.3^a	10.7^ab	7.3^ab	5.0^a	5.9^ab
GRC	48.9^c	44.8^b	38.1^c	39.9^b	23.9^c	18.6^c	13.6^b	14.3^c
HUN	25.1^ad	28.2^ac	18.9^abd	23.9^ac	14.2^abde	10.3^abd	6.7^ac	8.2^abc
IRL	25.7^ad	30.0^acd	15.7^ab	24.9^ac	8.6^ab	6.9^ab	4.1^a	4.7^a
LVA	24.5^ae	22.2^a	15.9^ab	17.8^a	10.8^ab	7.5^ab	5.2^a	5.3^a
LTU	24.4^ae	21.0^a	16.0^ab	17.7^a	9.5^ab	7.1^a	5.0^a	5.6^a
PRT	31.5^bde	36.2^bcd	22.7^bd	30.5^cd	14.2^abcde	12.2^abcd	7.9^ac	9.6^abc
SVN	29.6^bde	24.8^a	21.1^bd	21.2^a	13.5^be	9.4^ab	7.1^ac	6.7^ab
ESP	44.6^c	40.4^bd	33.5^ce	36.6^bd	21.0^cd	14.7^cd	11.5^bc	10.5^bc
MKD	34.0^d	27.4^a	26.2^de	22.9^ac	18.2^de	12.1^bd	10.9^c	9.6^abc
8-year-olds°°	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†
BEL	21.9^a	22.4^a	14.2^a	17.8^a	7.9^a	6.7^a	3.6^a	4.6^a
ITA	44.8^b	40.4^b	33.9^b	34.4^b	22.8^b	16.0^b	11.6^b	11.3^b
NOR	29.2^c	26.2^a	18.6^c	21.5^c	11.6^c	6.2^a	4.9^a	3.5^a
SVN	36.1^d	32.0^c	26.5^d	26.6^d	17.6^d	11.9^bc	8.5^c	8.5^c
ESP	45.3^b	41.0^b	33.0^b	34.4^b	20.0^bd	14.7^c	8.3^c	9.2^bc
9-year-olds°°°	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†
BEL	27.3^a	26.6^a	18.7^a	21.8^a	11.2^a	9.0^a	5.1^a	5.9^a
GRC	57.2^b	50.0^b	45.1^b	42.3^b	30.5^b	20.8^b	14.7^b	14.6^b
IRL	32.2^ac	30.3^ac	19.7^ac	23.1^acd	10.3^a	6.8^ac	4.5^ac	4.8^ac
ITA	43.8^d	37.4^cd	32.9^d	31.4^e	21.9^c	13.0^d	10.1^d	8.4^d
LTU	27.3^a	21.3^e	17.8^a	16.9^c	11.3^a	5.9^c	4.7^a	4.1^a
SVN	36.8^c	33.6^cd	25.7^c	29.1^de	17.0^d	13.6^d	8.0^acd	9.8^bcd
ESP	48.9^d	42.2^bd	34.1^d	35.4^be	22.3^cd	14.6^d	9.5^cd	10.0^bd

Abbreviations: BMI body mass index, BMI/A BMI-for-age, COSI Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative, IOTF International Obesity Task Force, WHO World Health Organization.
^‡The country codes refer to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 3166–1 Alpha-3 country codes and countries were listed in alphabetical order by their full names: BEL, Belgium (Flanders); CZE, Czech Republic; GRC, Greece; HUN, Hungary; IRL, Ireland; ITA, Italy; LVA, Latvia; LTU, Lithuania; NOR, Norway; PRT, Portugal (all regions except Madeira); SVN, Slovenia; ESP, Spain; MKD, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
^#Prevalence estimates were based on the 2007 WHO recommended growth reference for school-age children and adolescents [17]. Body weight was adjusted for clothes worn when measured and children with a BMI/A Z-score < −5 or > +5 were excluded. Overweight and obesity were defined as the proportion of children with a BMI/A value above +1 Z-score and above +2 Z-scores, respectively.
^*Prevalence estimates were based on the IOTF recommended growth reference for school-age children and adolescents [19]. Body weight was adjusted for clothes worn when measured and children with a BMI/A Z-score < −5 or > +5 were excluded (based on the 2007 WHO growth reference [17]). Overweight and obesity were defined by using cut-off points for BMI, passing through 25 kg/m² and 30 kg/m² by the age of 18 years, respectively.
†Statistically significant difference of proportions across countries for the indicated age group (Chi-squared test; P < 0.001).
°Statistically significant difference of proportions between boys and girls for overweight (based on IOTF definition only) and for obesity (based on WHO and IOTF definitions) (Chi-squared test; P < 0.001).
°°Statistically significant difference of proportions between boys and girls for overweight and obesity (based on WHO and IOTF definitions) (Chi-squared test; P < 0.05).
°°°Statistically significant difference of proportions between boys and girls for overweight (based on WHO and IOTF definitions) and for obesity (based on WHO definitions only) (Chi-squared test; P < 0.05).
^a,b,c,d,eWithin each sex-age group (e.g. 6-year-old boys), proportions that share the same superscript letter do not statistically significantly differ from each other (Marascuilo procedure). For example, for the 6-year-old boys and girls, each overweight or obesity prevalence estimate is significantly different from the other two.

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