Researchers from the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota conducted a comprehensive study on obesity due to a large waist circumference (abdominal obesity). They analyzed national data from 2003 and 2012 and found that abdominal obesity has remained steady over that time.
Waist circumference is a primary indicator of obesity, along with body mass index (BMI), measurements of skinfold thickness and the calculation of waist-to-hip circumference ratios. Abdominal obesity is a result of a large waist circumference and refers to 'visceral fat,' otherwise known as the fat that accumulates around the midsection. The analysis of 16,601 children between the ages of six and 18 shed light on the current state of affairs regarding the issue.
The data was provided by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) that was conducted during 2003-2004, 2005-2006, 2007-2008, 2009-2010, and 2011-2012 and recorded biennial responses. According to the researchers, the abdominal obesity rate in 2003-2004 was very close to the rate in 2011-2012 (around 18% of children were obese based on their waist circumference). The largest decrease came among children aged between two and five, whose rates saw a three to five percent drop.
The flattening rate for abdominal obesity is a good sign for the nation's health. Midsection fat is associated with an increased risk for metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, heart disease, and type-2 diabetes. The steadying of this rate implies a slight decrease for obesity in general, as well as these other chronic diseases associated with it. However, health experts say the rate is still too high and people need to be more conscious of what they eat and must remain physically active.
"It's good the prevalence of abdominal obesity remained the same over the last eight years, but the prevalence is still high, so we need to think about what to do to lower the numbers," said senior author Lyn M. Steffen, in this Reuters news article.
"Parents should be aware that abdominal obesity is a greater risk, and may help doctors identify which children are at greatest risk for health problems," added Ashley Cockrell Skinner of the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.
The study, "Trends in Abdominal Obesity Among US Children and Adolescents," was published on Monday in the journal Pediatrics. The researchers did not know why the abdominal obesity rate has leveled off between 2003 and 2012, but they believe it could be a result of health policy changes and government awareness of sugar-sweetened beverages.
You can read more about obesity in the United States on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
