Is the prevalence of overweight and obesity declining among 4-year-old Swedish children?

Aim: To investigate the trend in overweight and obesity prevalence among 4-year-old Swedish children. Methods: Height and weight data registered at the regular health check up at the child health centres in the county of Vasterbotten during the years 2007/2008 (2225 boys and 2156 girls) were analysed and compared with data from 2002/2003 (2231 boys and 2176 girls). Overweight and obesity were estimated using the International Obesity Task Force cut-off values (ISO BMI). Results: In both boys and girls, overweight prevalence (ISO BMI > 25) decreased over the 5-year period, boys from 17.2% to 14.2% and girls from 22.3% to 19.0%. Among girls, there was also a decrease in obesity prevalence (ISO BMI > 30) from 5.7% to 3.1%. Conclusion: The result of this study indicates that the overweight and obesity epidemic among Swedish pre-school children may be levelling off.