Trends in overweight and obesity over 22 years in a large adult population: the<scp>HUNT</scp>Study,<scp>N</scp>orway

<jats:title>Summary</jats:title><jats:p>Some reports indicate that the obesity epidemic may be slowing down or halting. We followed body mass index (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">BMI</jats:styled-content>) and waist circumference (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">WC</jats:styled-content>) in a large adult population in<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">N</jats:styled-content>orway (<jats:italic><jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">n</jats:styled-content></jats:italic> = 90 000) from 1984–1986 (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HUNT1</jats:styled-content>) through 1995–1997 (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HUNT2</jats:styled-content>) to 2006–2008 (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HUNT3</jats:styled-content>) to study whether this is occurring in<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">N</jats:styled-content>orway. Height and weight were measured with standardized and identical methods in all three surveys;<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">WC</jats:styled-content>was also measured in<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HUNT2</jats:styled-content>and<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HUNT3</jats:styled-content>. In the three surveys, mean<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">BMI</jats:styled-content>increased from 25.3 to 26.5 and 27.5 kg m<jats:sup>−2</jats:sup>in men and from 25.1 to 26.2 and 26.9 kg m<jats:sup>−2</jats:sup>in women. Increase in prevalence of obesity (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">BMI</jats:styled-content>≥ 30 kg m<jats:sup>−2</jats:sup>) was greater in men (from 7.7 to 14.4 and 22.1%) compared with women (from 13.3 to 18.3 and 23.1%). In contrast, women had a greater increase in abdominal obesity (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">WC</jats:styled-content>≥ 102 cm for men and<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">WC</jats:styled-content>≥ 88 cm for women). There was a continuous shift in the distribution curve of<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">BMI</jats:styled-content>and<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">WC</jats:styled-content>to the right, demonstrating that the increase in body weight was occurring in all weight groups, but the increase of obesity was greatest in the youngest age groups. Our data showed no signs of a halt in the increase of obesity in this representative Norwegian population.</jats:p>