De Quetelet-index ('body mass index') bij jongeren in 1997 vergeleken met 1980; nieuwe groeidiagrammen voor de signalering van ondergewicht, overgewicht en obesitas

To compare the body mass index (BMI) of Dutch children in 1980 and 1997, and to apply international criteria for overweight and obesity to the Dutch BMI reference diagrams.

Design

Comparison of two consecutive cross-sectional studies.

Method

Cross-sectional data on height, weight and demographics of 14,500 boys and girls of Dutch origin, aged 0-21 years, were collected in 1997. BMI references were derived using the LMS method. The 90th, 50th and 10th BMI centiles of the 1980 study were used as the baseline. Associations of demographic variables with the BMI standard deviation score (SDS) were assessed using analysis of variance.

Results

BMI-age reference charts were constructed for children aged 0-21 years. From 3 years of age onwards, 14-22 of children exceeded the 1980 P₉₀ value, 52-61 exceeded the P₅₀ and 90-95 exceeded the P₁₀ for this year. BMI SDS was found to be significantly related to region, educational level of parents (negative correlation) and family size (negative correlation). The -0.9, +1.1 and +2.3 SDS curves for 1997 corresponded to the adult BMI cut-off values of 20, 25 and 30 kg/m², which the WHO, amongst others, has suggested should also be applied to children.

Conclusion

Using these new BMI-age reference curves based on the 1997 study, overweight and obesity can be detected in children. This enables preventive action to be undertaken at an early age.