Assessing Prevalence and Trends in Obesity

Obesity has come to the forefront of the American public health agenda. The increased attention has led to a growing interest in quantifying obesity prevalence and determining how the prevalence has changed over time. Estimates of obesity prevalence and trends are fundamental to understanding and describing the scope of issue. Policy makers, program planners, and other stakeholders at the national, state, and local levels are among those who search for estimates relevant to their population(s) of interest to inform their decision-making. The differences in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data have given rise to a body of evidence that is inconsistent and has created barriers to interpreting and applying published reports. As such, there is a need to provide guidance to those who seek to better understand and use estimates of obesity prevalence and trends. Assessing Prevalence and Trends in Obesity examines the approaches to data collection, analysis, and interpretation that have been used in recent reports on obesity prevalence and trends at the national, state, and local level, particularly among U.S. children, adolescents, and young adults. This report offers a framework for assessing studies on trends in obesity, principally among children and young adults, for policy making and program planning purposes, and recommends ways decision makers and others can move forward in assessing and interpreting reports on obesity trends. Table of Contents Front Matter Summary 1 Introduction 2 Context 3 Methodological Approaches to Data Collection 4 Comparison of Data Sources Used to Assess Obesity Prevalence and Trends 5 Analytic Approaches and Considerations 6 Framework for Assessing Prevalence and Trends in Obesity to Inform Decision Making 7 Conclusions and Recommendations 8 Future Directions for Filling Data Gaps Appendix A: Acronyms and Glossary Appendix B: Public Workshop Agenda Appendix C: Literature Search Approach Appendix D: Presentation of Findings Appendix E: Committee Member Biographical Sketches