Comparison of different BMI cut-offs to screen for child and adolescent obesity in urban China. Issue 14 (10th October 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Qian, Kun; Tan, Linglin; Li, Shijian; Li, Ziang; Yu, Feng; Liang, Huigang; Gao, Sihan; Ren, Xiaofan; Zhang, Jing; Zhang, Zhiruo
• Is Part Of: Public health nutrition. Volume 23:Issue 14(2020)
• Page Start: 2485
• Page End: 2493
• Publication Date: 2020-10-10
• Subjects: Overweight, -- Obesity, -- BMI, -- Body fat percentage; Nutrition -- Periodicals; Nutrition policy -- Periodicals; Public health -- Periodicals; 613.2
• DOI: 10.1017/S1368980020000828
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1368-9800

Abstract

Abstract: Objectives: To determine which set of BMI cut-offs is the most appropriate to define child and adolescent obesity in urban China. Design: A cross-sectional study was carried out between 1 November and 31 December in 2017. Setting: Community Healthcare Center in Minhang District, Shanghai, China. Participants: A total of 12 426 children and adolescents aged 7–17 years were selected by cluster random sampling. Bioelectrical impedance analysis was the gold standard to measure body composition. Results: Comparisons of three sets of BMI cut-offs by sensitivity and κ value revealed that the Working Group on Obesity in China (WGOC) (sensitivity 39·9–84·0 %; κ 0·51–0·79) and WHO (sensitivity 25·5–74·5 %; κ 0·35–0·78) cut-offs were not superior to the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) (sensitivity 47·9–92·4 %; κ 0·58–0·85) cut-offs across all subgroups. The WGOC and WHO cut-offs yielded higher misclassification rates, in the worst case, categorising 11·2 % of girls with high adiposity as normal and 44·4 % of them as overweight, while the IOTF cut-offs categorised 2·3 % as normal and 30·7 % as overweight. Individuals who were classified by the IOTF cut-offs as overweight had the lowest ratios of high adiposity (4·2–41·6 %) than by the BMI cut-offs for each subgroup. Among pubertal girls, none of the BMI-based cut-offs indicated excellent agreement with body fat percentage, and κ value of the WHO cut-offs (0·35 (95 % CI 0·29, 0·41)) was lower than the other two sets of BMI cut-offs (all P < 0·001). Conclusions: The IOTF cut-offs for Asian should be recommended for child obesity screening in urban China. Pubertal individuals need a more accurate indicator of obesity screening.