Findings from a National Longitudinal Survey of Children
and Youth on Childhood Obesity
(Statistics Canada, 2002)
37% of Canadian children aged 2-11 yrs were overweight in 1998/99
(an increase from 34% in 1994/95)
More boys than girls were overweight. In 1998/99, an estimated 35%
of girls and 38% of boys were overweight, including 17% of girls and
19% of boys who were classified obese
One in four children ages 2-5 yrs were obese, compared with 1 in 10
children aged 8-11 yrs
Obesity among children was slightly higher than among adults
A greater proportion of children in low-income families were
overweight & obese. � of children living in families with incomes
below the low-income cut-off were obese, compared to only 16% of other
children in families above the low-income cut-off
Obese children are not as physically active than children of normal
weight or children who were overweight but not obese
