RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Trends in weight loss attempts among children in England
JF Archives of Disease in Childhood
JO Arch Dis Child
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
SP 896
OP 901
DO 10.1136/archdischild-2021-323493
VO 107
IS 10
A1 Ahmad, Aryati
A1 Little, Melissa
A1 Piernas, Carmen
A1 Jebb, Susan
YR 2022
UL http://adc.bmj.com/content/107/10/896.abstract
AB Objectives To describe trends in reported weight loss attempts among school-aged children and to investigate its sociodemographic determinants.Design We analysed data of children who participated in the Health Survey for England from 1997 to 2016 (n=34 235). This repeated cross-sectional survey reported weight loss attempts and sociodemographic characteristics. Body weight and height were measured by trained interviewers, and body mass index for age z-score was calculated. Multivariable logistic regression was used to investigate the sociodemographic determinants.Setting England.Participants Children (8–17 years).Main outcome measures Weight loss attempts by year, age group, gender, BMI for age z-score, ethnicity and household income.Results The prevalence of reported weight loss attempts increased significantly from 21.4% (1997–1998) to 26.5% (2015–2016). The increase was significant for boys, older children, Asian children, children from lower income households and in all categories of BMI for age z-score. Significant predictors of weight loss attempts included having overweight (8–12 years old, OR 4.01 (%CI 3.47 to 4.64); 13–17 years old, OR 1.96 (%CI 1.58 to 2.42)) or obesity (8–12 years old, OR 13.57 (%CI 11.94 to 15.43); 13–17 years old, OR 4.72 (%CI 3.94 to 5.66)) as well as being older, girls, from ethnic minority groups or low household income.Conclusion The prevalence of reported weight loss attempts among children is increasing at a faster rate than the rise in excess weight and includes an increasing proportion of children with a ‘healthy’ weight. The increase in the prevalence of reported weight loss attempts among children is greatest among subgroups with lower baseline prevalence.Data are available in a public, open access repository.