Changes in the distribution of body mass index of adults and children in the US population (original) (raw)

International journal of obesity and related metabolic disorders : journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 2000

Abstract

National survey data show increases in mean body mass index (BMI) and in the prevalence of overweight and obesity for adults and children in the United States, indicating a change in the distribution of BMI. To apply graphical methods to describe changes in the distribution of BMI. BMI values from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III: 1988-94) were compared with data from earlier cross-sectional nationally representative surveys for adults 20-74 y of age and for children and adolescents 6-17 y of age. Tukey mean-difference plots were used to investigate the changes in the distributions of BMI within sex-age groups. Mean-difference plots allow qualitative visual comparisons of the distributions of BMI between surveys. For all sex-age groups, there was increasing skewness with a greater shift in the upper part of the distribution so that, within each group, the heaviest subgroup was heavier in NHANES III than in prior surveys. For the youngest childre...

Richard Troiano hasn't uploaded this paper.

Let Richard know you want this paper to be uploaded.

Ask for this paper to be uploaded.