31 per cent of kids obese or overweight, study says

Almost a third of Canadian children are either overweight or obese, says a Statistics Canada report that bases its figures on the World Health Organization method of determining ideal weights for youth around the globe.

Using data from the 2009-2011Canadian Health Measures Survey, the federal agency says 31.5 per cent of children ages 5 to 17 — or an estimated 1.6 million individuals — are overweight or obese.

The percentage of kids who were overweight was similar for boys and girls across age groups.

But when it came to those deemed obese, more boys than girls fit the WHO definition, with 15.1 per cent of boys being obese compared to 8 per cent of girls.

The gender gap appears to be particularly noticeable in the 5-to-11 age group, with three times more boys considered obese (19.5 per cent) than girls (6.3 per cent).

The proportion of Canadian kids and teens who are overweight or obese has not changed much in the last few years — although experts say the level is at all-time high, and unacceptably so.

What has changed is the method for determining if a child or teen is carrying too many pounds and to what extent.

The traditional estimate of overweight and obese youth — 26 per cent — is primarily based on International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria taken from BMI measurements.

Thursday’s report uses WHO’s more recently implemented weight status charts, which many medical associations now endorse.