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Overweight prevalence among youth in the United States: Why so many different numbers?

International Journal of Obesity volume 23, pages S22–S27 (1999)Cite this article

Abstract

Several recent publications have presented different estimates for the prevalence of overweight among youth in the United States. Prevalence estimates range from 11–24%, despite describing the same results from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). This paper discusses the variety and evolution of different overweight prevalence estimates. Issues of definition, measurements, criteria selection and comparison groups are considered and implications for estimates of the prevalence of overweight among youth are explored. Reference percentiles for body mass index (BMI) from several publications are compared. The differences in published estimates from NHANES III are noted and explained.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    RP Troiano

  2. Division of Health Examination Statistics, National Center for Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    KM Flegal

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  1. RP Troiano
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  2. KM Flegal
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Troiano, R., Flegal, K. Overweight prevalence among youth in the United States: Why so many different numbers?. Int J Obes 23 (Suppl 2), S22–S27 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0800855

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0800855

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