Around one in 10 children in England will be obese by 2015, on the basis of recent trends, suggests research published ahead of print in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
The gap between the most and least affluent sectors of society is also set to widen, with greater numbers of children from less affluent and educated households caught in the obesity trap, the figures indicate.
Quiz on Obesity
There are thousands out there battling ‘the bulge’. With childhood obesity on the rise even children are not spared. If your weight issues are threatening to weigh you down learn more about obesity by taking part in this quiz.
“We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are”. - Adelle Davis
There are thousands out there battling ‘the bulge’. With childhood obesity on the rise even children are not spared. If your weight issues are threatening to weigh you down learn more about obesity by taking part in this quiz.
Based on these figures, they then calculated the likely prevalence of obesity in 2015 for these age groups according to social class (manual or non-manual), as determined by the job title of the head of the household.
They used two methods of calculation: linear trends whereby trends remain constant over time; and exponential or power trends, which allow for a speeding up or slowing down of trends over the same period.
Body Mass Index
The BMI calculator helps you assess your weight indicating if it is normal or if you are underweight or overweight, based on your height.
The BMI calculator helps you assess your weight indicating if it is normal or if you are underweight or overweight, based on your height.
The upward trend stabilised or even fell slightly between 2004/5 and 2007. But the annual prevalence was consistently higher among boys (0.6%) and girls (1.5%) from manual class households.
Advertisement
Height and Weight for Children
The height and weight calculator is a useful tool to ascertain the ideal height and weight of the children according to age and gender.
The height and weight calculator is a useful tool to ascertain the ideal height and weight of the children according to age and gender.
Once again, the annual prevalence was higher (1.2% among boys and 2.1% among girls) for those coming from manual class households, although there is some evidence to suggest a levelling off in more recent years.
Advertisement
High Cholesterol | Hypercholesterolemia - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment
High cholesterol level in blood are a risk for heart disease and stroke. They get deposited in the wall of the arteries and clog the circulation posing a threat to life.
High cholesterol level in blood are a risk for heart disease and stroke. They get deposited in the wall of the arteries and clog the circulation posing a threat to life.
But the prevalence for all children from manual class households will be considerably higher than that of children from non-manual households, regardless of forecasting method, say the authors.
In 2015 the prevalence of obesity among boys and girls from manual households will be 10.7% for boys and 11.2% for girls. This compares with 7.9% for boys and 5.4% for girls from non-manual households.
For the older age group, linear projections for young men in 2015 are 8% or 9.5% in the exponential projections. For young women, the equivalent figures are 9.7% and 10.6%, respectively.
The linear trend figures show that one in 10 boys and just over one in 10 girls (10.4%) from manual class households will be obese by 2015. This compares with 6.7% for boys and 8.3% of girls from non-manual households.
Power trends analysis shows similar gaps between the social classes.
“If trends continue as they have been between 1995 and 2007 in 2015 the number and prevalence of obese young people is projected to increase dramatically, and these increases will affect lower social classes to a larger extent,” conclude the authors.
Source-BMJ
SRM
