February 24, 2004

LONDON (myhealth.barnesjewish.org) - Children's average waistlines have expanded by about two clothing sizes in the
past 20 years in what scientists said on Tuesday is further proof of the growing problem of obesity in the young.  In a study of nearly 350 children aged 12-14, researchers at the East Leeds Primary Care Trust in England found that waistlines were four cm (1.6 inches) bigger than those of  youngsters two decades ago. "It is particularly concerning because we know that in adults an increase in fat around the waist is associated with cardiovascular disease," Dr Mary Rudolph, the paediatrician who headed the research team, said in an interview.

"It's a call for saying we really need to move fast to try to tackle this," she added. The average waist size for 12-14 year-old girls in the study was 66 cm while back in the 1980s it was 62 cm.  Scientists use body mass index (BMI), which is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in metres squared, to measure overweight and obesity. A BMI of 30 or more is considered obese.

But BMI measures total fat and research has shown that where fat accumulates is an important indicator of health risks. Waist circumference is important because a build-up of fat around the abdomen is more dangerous than on the thighs or the bottom.

Obesity is also linked to diabetes, a disease which experts predict will affect three million people in Britain and 221 million worldwide by 2010.

Childhood obesity has risen dramatically in most countries in Europe and in the United States due to a decrease in physical activity and changes in eating habits. Nearly 16 percent of children between the ages of six and 16 in Britain are obese. Health experts have warned that rates could soar higher if strategies are not developed to tackle the problem.

The scientists, who reported their findings in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, compared the height, weight, BMI and waist measurements of children from 18 schools in 1996-1998 and again in 2001.

Four percent of the girls in the study were obese in 1996 and 2001 but the number of obese boys rose from zero to three percent over the same time.