Prevalence of overweight and obesity among children in Greenland: a growing concern

Abstract

To investigate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children aged 3 to 10 years in Greenland. Further, to describe the prevalence of overweight and obesity according to sex, place of residence and age, including change over time. In a cross-sectional study, we included 4715 children aged 3–10 years, using data from the national electronic medical records. BMI was calculated and children were categorised into age and sex-specific weight classes according to cut-off values established by the International Obesity Task Force. In 2023, 37.1% of children in Greenland aged 3–10 years were classified as overweight or obese (12.6% obese). The proportion of children with normal weight was 61.1%. We saw no noticeable differences in the distribution of weight classes according to place of residence and sex. Further, our study illustrates a significant rise in the prevalence of overweight and obesity at the time of school entry, increasing from 7.5% in 1980 to 33.4% in 2023. This study demonstrates a high prevalence of overweight and obesity among children in Greenland, and further highlights a striking increase at school entry over recent decades. These findings underscore the urgent need for early prevention efforts and continued nationwide surveillance.