OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to obtain reliable data from recent surveys carried out in Italy on the prevalence of overweight (OW) and obesity (OB) in children. DESIGN: We searched in MEDLINE/Pubmed and Scopus. The keywords included "overweight ", "obesity", "children", "aged 6-11 years", "Italy", associated to the boolean operators AND/OR. The limits applied to the research were: English AND/OR Italian language, publication time period January 2000-September 2010, target of 6-11 years; Body Mass Index assessed according to IOTF criteria. StatsDirect 2.7.8 was utilized to perform statistical analysis. RESULTS: 25 studies have been select, the percentage of overweight varied between 18% and 33,7% and obesity between 5,5% and 21,9%. The highest values were in Southern Italy (OW: 25,6%, CI95% 24,8-26,3; OB: 15,2%, CI95% 13-17,5) vs Central Italy (OW: 22,6%, CI95% 21-24,1; OB: 9,3%, CI95% 7,9-10,7) vs Northern Italy (OW: 21%, CI95% 19,6-22,3; OB: 8,2%, CI95% 6,8-9,7). CONCLUSION: A relevant prevalence of overweight and obesity was found In Italian children; the excess weight concerns one child out of four. There are significant differences in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in relation to geographical distribution (Northern, Central and Southern Italy), the high prevalence of overweight and obesity resulted statistically significant in the Southern compared to Central and Northern Italy. These differences are likely linked to different geographical areas in relation to socioeconomic and environmental condition that must be further investigated. There is a need of promoting better eating habits in young children in Italy, above all in areas with highest prevalence.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to obtain reliable data from recent surveys carried out in Italy on the prevalence of overweight (OW) and obesity (OB) in children. DESIGN: We searched in MEDLINE/Pubmed and Scopus. The keywords included "overweight ", "obesity", "children", "aged 6-11 years", "Italy", associated to the boolean operators AND/OR. The limits applied to the research were: English AND/OR Italian language, publication time period January 2000-September 2010, target of 6-11 years; Body Mass Index assessed according to IOTF criteria. StatsDirect 2.7.8 was utilized to perform statistical analysis. RESULTS: 25 studies have been select, the percentage of overweight varied between 18% and 33,7% and obesity between 5,5% and 21,9%. The highest values were in Southern Italy (OW: 25,6%, CI95% 24,8-26,3; OB: 15,2%, CI95% 13-17,5) vs Central Italy (OW: 22,6%, CI95% 21-24,1; OB: 9,3%, CI95% 7,9-10,7) vs Northern Italy (OW: 21%, CI95% 19,6-22,3; OB: 8,2%, CI95% 6,8-9,7). CONCLUSION: A relevant prevalence of overweight and obesity was found In Italian children; the excess weight concerns one child out of four. There are significant differences in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in relation to geographical distribution (Northern, Central and Southern Italy), the high prevalence of overweight and obesity resulted statistically significant in the Southern compared to Central and Northern Italy. These differences are likely linked to different geographical areas in relation to socioeconomic and environmental condition that must be further investigated. There is a need of promoting better eating habits in young children in Italy, above all in areas with highest prevalence.
Authors: Rosa Maria Dellepiane; Laura Dell'Era; Lorena Vanesa Beilis; Paola Pavesi; Micol Raimondi; Annarosa Soresina; Vassilios Lougaris; Maria Carrabba; Baldassarre Martire; Silvana Martino; Giovanna Russo; Giuseppe Patuzzo; Claudio Pignata; Giuseppe Spadaro; Romina Gallizzi; Marzia Duse; Fernando Giuseppe Specchia; Viviana Moschese; Gian Luigi Marseglia; Maria Cristina Pietrogrande; Giorgio Bedogni; Carlo Agostoni Journal: J Clin Immunol Date: 2015-09-18 Impact factor: 8.317
Authors: Tiziana Grassi; Antonella De Donno; Francesco Bagordo; Francesca Serio; Prisco Piscitelli; Elisabetta Ceretti; Claudia Zani; Gaia C V Viola; Milena Villarini; Massimo Moretti; Sara Levorato; Annalaura Carducci; Marco Verani; Gabriele Donzelli; Sara Bonetta; Silvia Bonetta; Elisabetta Carraro; Silvia Bonizzoni; Alberto Bonetti; Umberto Gelatti Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2016-10-11 Impact factor: 3.390