The National Academies Press

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From page 1... ... The current literature of reports on obesity includes estimates of prevalence and trends for various population groups throughout the United States. The data sources from which these estimates are derived range from local initiatives to national surveillance programs, differing from each other in terms of resources, intent, funding, and approach. Read the entire page →
From page 2... ... From these activities, the committee developed a framework for assessing and interpreting reports on obesity prevalence and trends and recommendations for evaluating published reports, improving future data collection efforts, and filling data gaps. Read the entire page →
From page 3... ... Common data sources that capture height and weight data include population surveys, school-based assessments, clinical and public health administrative data, and cohort studies. From a design perspective, these data sources differ from each other in the use of and approach to sampling, the population represented, the setting in which data are collected, and the total sample size. Read the entire page →
From page 4... ... For trend analyses, considerations include the beginning and end dates and time intervals used to define the trend. FRAMEWORK FOR ASSESSING PREVALENCE AND TRENDS IN OBESITY The variations in the methods, data sources, and analytic approaches used to estimate obesity prevalence and trends has made navigating and understanding the literature challenging. Read the entire page →
From page 5... ... . The proposed framework provides a conceptual process for how end users can approach published reports, consider the strengths and weaknesses of obesity data estimates, and synthesize the information for the purposes of decision making. Read the entire page →
From page 6... ... b Methodology refers to all the elements related to study design and data collection. c Analysis refers to all elements related to data processing, cleaning, and statistical analysis. Read the entire page →
From page 7... ... UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES OF THE FRAMEWORK The APT Framework is intended to serve as a starting point for those who wish to better understand and apply published reports. It is grounded in six underlying principles discussed below and summarized in Box S-3. Read the entire page →
From page 8... ... The APT Framework Can Be Used Both for Assessing Individual Reports and for Synthesizing Multiple Reports The number of reports assessed and how they are evaluated through the APT Framework will depend on the goal of the end user and the availability of reports related to the goal. In some instances, the framework would be used to assess a single report. Read the entire page →
From page 9... ... By using the end user's goal to contextually frame the assessment process, the APT Framework highlights the interface between reading a report for meaning and using the findings for a specific application. CONCLUSIONS The interpretation of obesity prevalence and trends estimates is contingent on considerations specific to the assessment of obesity status, principles that are founded in epidemiology and concepts that are fundamental to Read the entire page →
From page 10... ... Published reports often cite inadequate sample size as the reason for omitting one or multiple subgroups from an analysis or combine heterogeneous groups into a single category. Conclusion 2: The committee concludes that inclusion of subgroups in data sources provides essential insight into how obesity prevalence and trends estimates vary within and between population groups. Read the entire page →
From page 11... ... Self- and proxy-reported height and weight data can be used to fill data gaps and provide insight into overall obesity trends, although these data collection methods do not produce prevalence estimates comparable to those based on direct measure. Estimates of Changes and Trends Over Time Published reports assessing obesity prevalence over time have presented findings as change (the difference between two time points) Read the entire page →
From page 12... ... Although these differences often limit comparability of prevalence and trend estimates, their existence underscores the diverse context in which decisions and compromises have to be made in the design, collection, and analysis of the data. The committee offers recommendations in three areas: assessing published reports on obesity prevalence and trends; improving future data collection efforts; and conducting research to address data gaps. Read the entire page →
From page 13... ... Recommendation 2: The committee recommends that an organization with a track record of cross-sector leadership in the field of obesity, such as the National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, convene relevant stakeholders to examine and identify feasible and practical approaches to stan dardizing methodologies for data collection and reporting, appropri ate for application at the national, state, and local levels to enhance comparability of obesity prevalence and trend analyses. To include a range of participants, the committee recommends that the organization(s) Read the entire page →
From page 14... ... ; • Academic researchers; • Research organizations; • Research funders; • Obesity-oriented and public health professional organizations; and • Other decision makers who operate at the national, state, and local levels. Research to Address Gaps The assessment of obesity prevalence and trends estimates continues to change with technological, methodological, and statistical advancements. Read the entire page →
From page 15... ... • Identifying appropriate measures of core demographic variables -- including but not limited to race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and rurality -- that can be captured in a consistent manner across various data collection efforts at the national, state, and local levels. As the demographic landscape of the country continues to change, it will become increasingly vital to characterize popula tions in ways that capture the existing diversity. Read the entire page →
From page 16... ... 16 ASSESSING PREVALENCE AND TRENDS IN OBESITY CONCLUDING REMARKS This report evaluates the strengths and weaknesses associated with existing approaches to collecting obesity data, creating estimates of obesity prevalence, and assessing trends. It also recommends ways to systematically assess obesity-related reports, given these strengths and weaknesses, in order to understand and interpret the information the reports provide. Read the entire page →

From page 1...

... The current literature of reports on obesity includes estimates of prevalence and trends for various population groups throughout the United States. The data sources from which these estimates are derived range from local initiatives to national surveillance programs, differing from each other in terms of resources, intent, funding, and approach.

Summary Pages 1-16

Summary
Pages 1-16