Recent research shows that young people aged 18 to 24 are most affected by obesity. In addition, this age group has the highest risk in the next decade of their livesdeveloping obesity. The study authors compared this data to adults in every other age group. Therefore, obesity prevention measures should target this group, according to the researchers.
Prevalence of obesity between ages 18 and 25
The recently published study found that adolescence is a more important risk factor for weight gain. The authors compared this with gender, ethnicity, geographical region or socioeconomic characteristics. Furthermore, the risk of weight gain is not only highest in the youngest adult age group, but also decreases steadily with increasing age. The study results show that 18- to 24-year-olds are four times more likely to become overweight or obese in the next 10 years. Such individuals are also more likely to move to a higher body mass index category. However, the association between sociodemographic factors such as deprivation and ethnicity and these transitions was less pronounced. Participants were aged 18 to 74 and had their weight and body mass index measured at their GP practice more than once between 1998 and 2016.
The researchers examined changes in body mass after one year, five years and 10 years. They calculated the probability between weight classes (underweight, normal weight, overweight, obese) at different ages and in different age groups. For example, the risk of transitioning from overweight to obesity over 10 years in men with a body mass index of 26 (weight 87 kg, height 1.82 m) varies significantly depending on age. The researchers were surprised to see only a small additional effect of social deprivation on the risk of weight gain. According to the study authors, health systems must find new ways to prevent obesity and its consequences.This studyshows that data collected over time in primary care provides an important key to providing new insights for public health interventions.
