A report on the weight status of Manitoba children : Weight status of Manitoba children

Age and Gender Effects: • The prevalence of overweight/obesity among Manitoba children increased with age, from 23 per cent for children two to five years of age, to 30 per cent for six to 11-year-olds and to 36 per cent for 12 to 17-year-olds. [...] A Report on the Weight Status of Manitoba Children 17 B. Regional Differences in Weight Status This section describes the prevalence or rate of overweight and obesity in Manitoba children in the combined health regions. [...] The exception was boys two to 11 years of age in the southeastern/central regions of Manitoba, where the prevalence of overweight/ obesity was found to be 15 per cent. [...] In the north, nearly half of adolescents (43 per cent of boys; 45 per cent of girls) were overweight or obese compared to approximately 37 per cent in Winnipeg (35 per cent of boys; 41 per cent of girls), approximately 33 per cent in southwestern (36 per cent of boys; 27 per cent of girls) and 33 per cent in southeastern/central Manitoba (41 per cent of boys; 25 per cent of girls). [...] The prevalence of overweight/obesity fell from 36 per cent in boys and 45 per cent in girls from low-income families, to 27.5 per cent and 25 per cent for boys and girls in upper-middle income families.