Obesity in schoolchildren

Abstract

In 1971 triceps skinfold thickness was measured in a sample of 6-14-year-old children attending school in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. The sample consisted of 1,243 boys and 1,183 girls. In both boys and girls triceps skinfolds tended to increase with age, this being most marked in the girls. If a 25 mm triceps skinfold is taken as indicating obesity, then 32·4% of the 14-year old girls and 3·6% of the 14-year-old boys would be classified as obese. Comparison with the findings of the 1959 study of London schoolchildren suggests that obesity in 14-year-old girls has become more prevalent.