• Ying-Xiu Zhang and Shu-Rong Wang.
• Shandong Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jinan, China. sdcdczyx@163.com
• World J Pediatr. 2013 May 1;9(2):135-9.

BackgroundThe rising prevalence of childhood obesity was observed in China. This study assessed the prevalence and district distribution of childhood obesity in Shandong Province, China.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in the province. A total of 42 275 students (21 222 boys and 21 053 girls) aged 7-18 years from 16 districts participated in this study. Height and body weight of all subjects were measured, and the body mass index (BMI) was calculated. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was obtained according to the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) cut-offs.ResultsIn 2010, the prevalence rates of combined overweight and obesity reached 26.86% in urban boys, 18.32% in rural boys, 14.36% in urban girls, and 11.31% in rural girls, respectively. An increasing trend was observed in the prevalence of overweight and obesity from the low socioeconomic status (SES) group to the moderate and high SES groups. The prevalence rates of combined overweight and obesity in the three SES groups were 18.46%, 21.08% and 27.31% in boys and 10.43%, 12.42% and 15.18% in girls, respectively.ConclusionsThere is a high level of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents in Shandong Province, China. The distribution of childhood obesity is positively associated with the regional SES.

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