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Melbourne, Australia: A new global definition of clinical obesity classifies far fewer children as obese than the widely used body mass index (BMI), a measure of weight relative to height, an international study has found.
The findings, published in eClinicalMedicine, part of The Lancet, could lead to changes to how childhood obesity is identified and managed, according to a statement released Wednesday by Australia's Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI), which led the study.
The study, involving 786,557 participants from Australia, Canada, Estonia, Finland, the Netherlands, Britain and the United States, examines the prevalence of clinical obesity from early childhood through to older age.
It found that clinical obesity affected 2.1 to 4.9 percent of children and adolescents, compared with 7 to 10.8 percent classified as obese using BMI criteria.
The new Lancet Commission definition of clinical obesity goes beyond BMI, and considers whether excess body fat is accompanied by symptoms of obesity-related health problems or limitations in daily activities, according to researchers.
The study found clinical obesity became increasingly common with age, surpassing BMI-defined obesity from age 55 to 64 onwards and reaching 52 percent among adults aged 65 to 74. Clinical obesity was also higher among men during early-to-mid adulthood, while women experienced higher rates later in life.
MCRI researcher Danielle Longmore said BMI was useful for assessing obesity across populations but failed to capture individual health, potentially affecting obesity treatment, including weight-loss medication and dietary recommendations.
The researchers said identifying children already showing signs of obesity-related health complications could help inform future prevention and treatment strategies.
