OBJECTIVE: Overweight and obesity in adolescents is associated with many health risks and considerable direct and indirect healthcare costs. The purpose of this study is to examine trends in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in 11-, 13- and 15-year-old adolescents in the Czech Republic from 1998 to 2014. METHODS: Data from five self-reported survey rounds (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014) of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Study (HBSC) were used to assess trends in overweight and obesity among Czech adolescents. The total sample consisted of 19,103 adolescents (51.2% girls). A logistic regression analysis was used to assess trends in different age and gender categories. RESULTS: From 1998 to 2014 a significant increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity was observed among boys in all age categories (11 years old 22.2%1998- 28.3%2014; 13 years old 17.9%1998- 26.7%2014; 15 years old 9.8%1998- 20.8%2014) and among 15-year-old girls (6.0%1998- 10.9%2014). None of the age and gender categories showed an overall decrease over the 16-year period. In boys, the prevalence of overweight was significantly higher with steeper negative trends compared with girls. However, stabilization in overweight rates was observed between 2010 and 2014 in all age and gender groups. CONCLUSION: Nationally representative self-reported data show a significant increase in overweight (including obesity) prevalence among children from 1998 to 2014 in the Czech Republic. The results also suggest stabilization in overweight prevalence between 2010 and 2014. Continuing research is needed to determine future trends while interventions aimed at reducing overweight and obesity in children should be implemented on different levels of public policy.

Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies Faculty of Physical Culture Palacký University Olomouc Olomouc Czech Republic

Institute of Active Lifestyle Faculty of Physical Culture Palacký University Olomouc Olomouc Czech Republic

References provided by Crossref.org

Tracking of anthropometric characteristics from childhood to adolescence: an 8-year follow-up findings from the Czech ELSPAC study

Longitudinal associations between sport participation and fat mass with body posture in children: A 5-year follow-up from the Czech ELSPAC study

Prevalence of adiposity-based chronic disease in middle-aged adults from Czech Republic: The Kardiovize study

Time-trends and correlates of obesity in Czech adolescents in relation to family socioeconomic status over a 16-year study period (2002-2018)