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Childhood obesity less common under new health-based definition

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Childhood obesity less common under new health-based definition

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A new global definition of clinical obesity classifies far fewer children as obese than widely used body mass index (BMI) thresholds, according to a large international study. The findings could lead to changes in how childhood obesity is identified and managed.

The research, led by Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI), involved 786,557 participants from Australia, Canada, Estonia, Finland, the Netherlands, the U.K. and the U.S. It is the first to examine the prevalence of clinical obesity from early childhood through older age.

Published in eClinicalMedicine, the study found that while clinical obesity was less prevalent than BMI-defined obesity during childhood and early adulthood, it became increasingly common with age, affecting more than half of adults ages 65 to 74.

The study evaluated the new Lancet Commission definition of clinical obesity, which goes beyond BMI, a measure of weight relative to height, and considers whether excess body fat is accompanied by symptoms of obesity-related health problems or limitations in daily activities.

8% classified as obese using BMI criteria. But the prevalence of clinical obesity rose throughout adulthood, surpassing BMI-defined obesity from ages 55–64 onward and peaking at 52% among adults ages 65–74. Clinical obesity was also more prevalent among men during early to middle adulthood, while women experienced higher rates later in life.



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