Prevalence and incidence of obesity among children and adolescents in Guangdong: a prospective analysis from 2019-2022

Abstract

Aim: The prevalence of obesity among Chinese children and adolescents has been widely reported, but incidence data remain scarce. This study examined the prevalence and incidence of obesity in Guangdong amid ongoing economic and demographic transitions.

Methods: This study used data from the Surveillance for Common Diseases and Health Risk Factors in Students in Guangdong Province (2019-2022). We calculated the prevalence (n = 117,862) and incidence (n = 108,043) of obesity among children and adolescents aged 6-19 years, stratified by sex, age, educational level, ethnicity, and residence.

Results: The baseline crude prevalence was 8.33% [95% confidence interval (CI): 8.17%, 8.49%] for obesity and 10.86% (95%CI: 10.69%, 11.04%) for overweight. The crude prevalence of obesity increased from 7.41% (95%CI: 7.17%, 7.65%) in 2019 to 9.10% (95%CI: 8.89%, 9.31%) in 2022. The crude cumulative incidence was 3.03%, with an incidence density rate of 19.32 cases per 1,000 person-years (PYs). Incidence density rates declined from 2019-2020 (27.85 cases per 1,000 PYs) to 2020-2021 (19.01 cases per 1,000 PYs), followed by a slight, non-significant increase from 2020-2021 to 2021-2022 (19.74 cases per 1,000 PYs). Both the prevalence and incidence of overweight and obesity were higher in younger children and in boys than in their respective counterparts.

Conclusion: Our longitudinal study (2019-2022) in Guangdong Province showed a persistent increase in obesity prevalence, despite fluctuations in incidence among children and adolescents. The upward trend, particularly pronounced in younger children and boys, highlights the urgent need for targeted public health interventions.

Keywords

Obesity / children / adolescents / longitudinal study / prevalence / incidence / China

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