Trends in obesity in young adults in The Netherlands from 1974 to 1986.

Data from two screening projects on cardiovascular risk factors were used to investigate trends in body mass index (BMI; weight(kg)/height(m)2) and in the prevalence of obesity in The Netherlands between 1974 and 1986. In the period 1974-80 about 30,000 men and women aged 37-43, with a mean age of 40, were screened. In the period 1981-6 about 80,000 men aged 33-37, with a mean age of 35, were examined. In men, an increase in mean BMI of about 0.5 kg/m2 was observed between 1974 and 1980, which was reflected in an increase in the prevalence of a BMI between 27 and 30 kg/m2 of about 4 percentage points. In the period 1981-6, no change in mean BMI was observed in men, although there was a slight decrease in the percentage of men with a BMI between 25 and 27 kg/m2 (about 2 percentage points). In women, no change in mean BMI or in the prevalence of different grades of obesity was observed in the period 1974-80. The prevalence of grade I obesity (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m2) was 40-45 per cent in men aged 40 and 25-30 per cent in women aged 40 in the period 1974-1980. The prevalence of grade II obesity (BMI greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2) during that period was 5-6 per cent in men and 7-8 per cent in women. The prevalence of grade I and grade II obesity in men aged 35 was 35-40 per cent and 5-6 per cent respectively during the period 1981-6. The prevalence of grade II obesity in The Netherlands is comparable with that in some other Western European countries, but much lower than in the United States and Canada.