Thinness, overweight and obesity in indigenous youth in Oaxaca, 1970 and 2007.

Objective. To evaluate change in body mass index (BMI)  and weight status of indigenous youth in Oaxaca between the 1970s and 2007. Materials and methods. Heights and weights were measured in cross-sectional samples of school children 6-14 years in the 1970s (2 897) and 2007 (4 305); BMI was calcula...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Robert M Malina, María Eugenia Peña-Reyes, Guillermo Bali-Chávez, Bertis B Little
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública 2013-07-01
Series:Salud Pública de México
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.saludpublica.mx/index.php/spm/article/view/7222
Description
Summary:Objective. To evaluate change in body mass index (BMI)  and weight status of indigenous youth in Oaxaca between the 1970s and 2007. Materials and methods. Heights and weights were measured in cross-sectional samples of school children 6-14 years in the 1970s (2 897) and 2007 (4 305); BMI was calculated. International Obesity Task Force cutoffs for weight status were used. BMI and prevalence of severe and moderate thinness, overweight and obesity were compared by year. Results. BMI increased significantly across time. Primary change in weight status occurred in overweight, 1970s, menor que 2%; 2007, 7 to 12%. Little change occurred in thinness ( menor que 2%) and obesity (≤1%) in both surveys, except in children 6-9 years (obesity=4% in 2007). Conclusion. BMI and prevalence of overweight increased across all ages from the 1970s to 2007, but children 6-9 years appeared to be more at risk for obesity than youth 10-14 years. Prevalence of thinness was unchanged.
ISSN:0036-3634
1606-7916