Overweight, obesity and girth of Australian preschoolers: prevalence and socio-economic correlates

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: (1) To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Australian 4-5-year-old children. (2) To investigate associations between socio-economic characteristics and (a) overweight/obesity and (b) waist circumference. DESIGN: Cross-sectional population survey. SETTING: Wave 1 (2004) of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. PARTICIPANTS: Nationally representative sample of 4983 4-5-year-old children (2537 boys and 2446 girls; mean age 56.9 months (s.d. 2.64 months; range 51-67 months)). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence of overweight and obesity (International Obesity TaskForce definitions) and waist circumference (cm). ANALYSIS: Prevalence estimates were obtained as w..