Prevalence and characteristics of overweight and obesity in indigenous Australian children: A systematic review

RIS ID

131079

Publication Details

Dyer, S. Marie., Gomersall, J. Streak., Smithers, L. Gaye., Davy, C., Coleman, D. T. & Street, J. Mary. (2017). Prevalence and characteristics of overweight and obesity in indigenous Australian children: A systematic review. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 57 (7), 1365-1376.

Abstract

Evidence-based profiling of obesity and overweight in Indigenous Australian children has been poor. This study systematically reviewed evidence of the prevalence and patterns of obesity/overweight, with respect to gender, age, remoteness, and birth weight, in Indigenous Australian children, 0-18 years (PROSPERO CRD42014007626). Study quality and risk of bias were assessed. Twenty-five publications (21 studies) met inclusion criteria, with large variations in prevalence for obesity or overweight (11 to 54%) reported. A high degree of heterogeneity in study design was observed, few studies (6/21) were representative of the target population, and few appropriately recruited Indigenous children (8/21). Variability in study design, conduct, and small sample sizes mean that it is not possible to derive a single estimate for prevalence although two high-quality studies indicate at least one in four Indigenous Australian children are overweight or obese. Four of six studies reporting on gender, found overweight/obesity higher in girls and eight studies reporting on overweight/obesity by age suggest prevalence increases with age with one high quality large national study reporting total overweight/obesity as 22.4% of children aged 2-4 years, 27.5% of those aged 5-9, 38.5% aged 10-14, and 36.3% aged 15-17. Three of four studies, reporting obesity/overweight by region, found lower rates for children living in more remote areas than urban areas.

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Link to publisher version (DOI)

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2014.991816