Abstract
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the present study was to evaluate by pooled and sensitivity analyses all available data on adolescent overweight/obesity in Cyprus.
DESIGN
A thorough literature search determined the studies to be examined using Cypriot adolescent samples aged 10–18 years old, with weight status in each sex classified according to the IOTF criteria, published between the years 2001–2011. Eight studies were retrieved, but three fulfilled the criteria for the sensitivity analyses.
RESULTS
The pooled prevalence of obesity was 9.8% in boys (n=6081). The pooled analysis classified 6.1% (n=3886) of girls as obese, whereas a higher prevalence was observed by the sensitivity analysis 6.4% (n = 1956, p ≤0.001). The boys’ prevalence of overweight was 19.3% and the girls’ 17.1%. Between sexes, boys demonstrated a higher prevalence of obesity and overweight (p ≤0.001 for both). The cumulative analyses demonstrated an increase in the prevalence of overweight/obesity until the year 2005 and thereafter a plateauing in boys and a slight decrease in girls in a non-linear manner.
CONCLUSION
Approximately 1/3 of adolescent boys and 1/4 of adolescent girls in Cyprus were overweight/obese during the previous decade.
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Grammatikopoulou, M.G., Kotanidou, E.P., Markaki, A.G. et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis of weight status among adolescents in Cyprus: scrutinizing the data for the years 2000–2010. Hormones 13, 543–551 (2014). https://doi.org/10.14310/horm.2002.1511
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.14310/horm.2002.1511