Epidemiological features of overweightness and childhood obesity in Spain

Abstract

The diagnosis of childhood obesity has become increasingly frequent in western societies, yet in many cases has been difficult to quantify due to the lack of representative data from different countries and the varying criteria used in its definition. In Spain, various national or regional studies have been conducted that analyse the prevalence of childhood and adolescent obesity, its evolution over time and the different factors implicated in its development. Among these, the en-Kid study stands out as it is the only recent observational epidemiological study of a cross-sectional design that was carried out in a representative sample of the Spanish population aged 2 to 24. The objective of this paper was to evaluate the current state and trends in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Spain analysing key epidemiological studies conducted in the last few decades. Based on the results of the enKid study, the prevalence in Spain was estimated to be 13.9% for obesity and 12.4% for overweight. Obesity prevalence was greater in males and at younger ages (from 6 to 13 years). The trend of increasing prevalence over the last few decades was confirmed, which varied according to age group, sex and socioeconomic status.