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. 2017 Sep;107(9):1502-1507.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2017.303904. Epub 2017 Jul 20.

Obesity and Overweight in American Indian and Alaska Native Children, 2006-2015

Ann Bullock  1 , Karen Sheff  1 , Kelly Moore  1 , Spero Manson  1
Affiliations

Obesity and Overweight in American Indian and Alaska Native Children, 2006-2015

Ann Bullock et al. Am J Public Health. 2017 Sep.

Abstract

Objectives: To estimate obesity and overweight prevalence in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children across genders, ages, and geographic regions in the Indian Health Service active clinical population.

Methods: We obtained data from the Indian Health Service National Data Warehouse. At least 184 000 AI/AN children aged 2 to 19 years had body mass index data for each year studied, 2006 to 2015. We calculated body mass index percentiles with the 2000 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth charts.

Results: In 2015, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in AI/AN children aged 2 to 19 years was 18.5% and 29.7%, respectively. Boys had higher obesity prevalence than girls (31.5% vs 27.9%). Children aged 12 to 19 years had a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity than younger children. The AI/AN children in our study had a higher prevalence of obesity than US children overall in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Results for 2006 through 2014 were similar.

Conclusions: The prevalence of overweight and obesity among AI/AN children in this population may have stabilized, while remaining higher than prevalence for US children overall.

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Figures

FIGURE 1—
FIGURE 1—
Body Mass Index Category for American Indian and Alaska Native Children by Year of Age for Fiscal Year 2015, United States Note. BMI = body mass index (defined as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters).
FIGURE 2—
FIGURE 2—
Body Mass Index Categories Among American Indian and Alaska Native Children Aged 2 to 19 Years and US Obesity: 2006–2015 Notes. AI/AN = American Indian and Alaska Native; BMI = body mass index (kg/m2).
FIGURE 3—
FIGURE 3—
Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among American Indian and Alaska Native Children Aged 2 to 19 Years by Fiscal Year and Age Group: 2006–2015, United States Note. The y-axis range is smaller than in Figures 1 and 2.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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