Register for Obesity on the increase in the Netherlands
Obesity EpidemiologyDecember 14, 2002
2002 DEC 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS, senior medical writer - As has been seen in many developed countries throughout the world, the prevalence of obesity among Dutch men and women has steadily increased in the last 25 years and may even be accelerating, according to a report in the International Journal of Obesity.
T.L.S. Visscher and colleagues at the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment in Bilthoven, Netherlands, examined records from the Consultation Bureau Heart Project (1976-1980), the Monitoring Project on Cardiovascular Diseases (1987-1991), and the Monitoring Project on Risk Factors for Chronic Diseases (MORGEN) (1993-1997) to obtain body mass index (BMI) on 29,141 adults, 37 to 43 years old, in 1976-1997, and on 21,926 adults, aged 20 to 59 years, from 1993-1997.
In 1997, 8.5% of the males and 9.3% of the females in the study population were obese, compared with 4.9% and 6.2%, respectively, in 1976. Obesity increased by 0.54% per year in men and 0.35% per year in women between 1993 and 1997 (p<0.01 and p=0.07, respectively).
The increase in obesity was greatest among men with a low educational level. In contrast, women with a high educational level experienced the largest increase in obesity prevalence (Long-term and recent time trends in the prevalence of obesity among Dutch men and women, Int J Obes, 2002;26(9):1218-1224).
"There has been a steady increase in the prevalence of obesity in the last quarter of the 20th century," concluded Visscher and his coauthors. "Also, a recent increase in the prevalence of obesity has been seen. To stop the increase in the prevalence of obesity, effective strategies for the management and prevention of obesity need to be developed."
The corresponding author for this study is T.L.S. Visscher, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Department of Chronic Diseases Epidemiology, P. O. Box 1, NL-3720 BA Bilthoven, Netherlands. E-mail: tommy.visscher@rivm.nl.
A search at www.NewsRx.net using the search term "obesity epidemiology" yielded 67 articles in 16 specialized reports.
Key points reported in this study include:
* Between 1976 and 1997, the prevalence of obesity among Dutch people increased significantly
* Obesity prevalence was 8.5% in Dutch men and 9.3% in Dutch women in 1997
* Although, in men, the greatest increase in obesity prevalence occurred among the least educated, among women, a greater increase in obesity prevalence was noted among the highly educated This article was prepared by Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week editors from staff and other reports.
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