Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #284333

Title: Body mass index distribution affects discrepancies in weight classifications in children

Author
item TUAN, NGUYEN - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item BUTTE, NANCY - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item NICKLAS, THERESA - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)

Submitted to: International Journal of Pediatrics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/18/2011
Publication Date: 4/15/2012
Citation: Tuan, N.T., Butte, N.F., Nicklas, T.A. 2012. Body mass index distribution affects discrepancies in weight classifications in children. International Journal of Pediatrics. 54:256-265.

Interpretive Summary: Controversy remains regarding the selection of international cut-off points for underweight and overweight in children and adolescents. In this study, we compared the prevalence of underweight and overweight in US and Chinese children using two commonly used references - the Center for Disease Control (CDC) body mass index (BMI)-for-age growth charts and the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) cut-off points. The population samples were from 2–17 year-old children enrolled in the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) in 1991 and 2004, and the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2003–2004 (NHANES). We found that the consistency of the two classification systems was influenced by the distribution of BMI in the population, but not by age of menarche or ethnicity. Thus, regardless if researchers use country-specific or international cut-off points to assess the BMI status of children whithin or across populations, the BMI distribution needs to be taken into consideration in the interpretation of BMI cut-off points for underweight and overweight.

Technical Abstract: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of body mass index (BMI) distribution, ethnicity, and age at menarche on the consistency in the prevalence of underweight and overweight as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) cut-off points in 2– to 17-year-old Chinese and US children. The Body Mass Index distribution of a population can affect the classification of childhood underweight and overweight differentially as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and International Obesity Task Force cut-off points, and thus should be considered in the interpretation of results in clinical and population settings.