The Scottish Government

Title

Children of healthy weight.

Associated Targets

Reduce the rate of increase in the proportion of children with their Body Mass Index outwith a healthy range by 2018.

Brief Description

The proportion of children aged 2-15 years whose Body Mass Index lies within a healthy range (between the 5 th and 85 th percentile of the UK growth reference charts).

Strategic Objective(s) to Which Indicator Relates

This indicator informs progress in relation to the Healthier Strategic Objective.

More Detailed Definitions

Definitions of Keywords

BMI is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in metres squared.

Definitions of healthy weight for children are currently based on the 1990 UK growth reference charts.

Evidence Source

Data source: Scottish Health Survey

This is an important high level indicator that encompasses various aspects of lifestyle and wellbeing.

Baseline and Past Trends

Baseline, most recent value available when target was set (2003): 32.3% (33.9% boys; 30.7% girls [1] )

Previous value (1998): 29.8% (29.2% boys; 30.4% girls)

Data for 2008 onwards available on Scotland Performs (from September 2009).

Methodology for Data Source

Sample survey data.

Healthy weight of children is defined using the UK standard growth reference curves (Cole TJ et al, 1995).

The method used corrects for the skewed distribution of BMI values and then assigns each child's BMI to a centile using an age-sex specific lookup of values from the standard reference curves.

Children having a BMI that lies between the 5 th and 85 th percentile of the reference data are of healthy weight.

The denominator population for the Scottish Health Survey 2003 was around 3,000 children aged 2-15 years; from 2008 onwards the annual denominator is approximately 2,000 children aged 2-15 years.

Data Ownership and Quality Assurance

Past data were not National Statistics, but data for 2008 onwards are National Statistics.

Publication of Data

Annual reports to be published by the Scottish Government in September of each year. (September 2009 report relates to 2008 survey data)

Methodology for Recent Change Arrow on Scotland

From 2008 onwards, any decrease in the annual rate of change of 0.5% or more will be deemed as "performance improving", an increase in the annual rate of change of 0.5% or more will be deemed as "performance worsening" and any difference between -0.5% and +0.5% in the annual rate of change will be deemed "performance maintaining".

For 2008, the annual average rate of change over the five years from 2003 to 2008 will be used, From 2009 onwards, the annual change from the previous year will be used.