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Author: Osberg, Lars
Resulting in 1 citation.
1. Phipps, Shelley
Burton, Peter
Lethbridge, Lynn
Osberg, Lars
Measuring Obesity in Young Children
Canadian Public Policy / Analyse de Politiques 30, 4 (December 2004): 349-364.
Also: http://economics.ca/cgi/jab?journal=cpp&article=v30n4p0349
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Keyword(s): Body Mass Index (BMI); Britain, British; Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY); Cross-national Analysis; Norway, Norwegian; Obesity; Weight

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Child obesity is currently an important policy problem in Canada. Making the best evidence-based policy choices in response requires having the best possible evidence. Yet, we point out how easy it can be to make serious mistakes when measuring child obesity, particularly for young children. We demonstrate that parental reports of child height and weight very likely overestimate obesity prevalence for very young children. Given the importance of child obesity as a policy issue, our main conclusion is that it is critical for national surveys in Canada to provide interviewers with appropriate equipment and ask them to weigh and measure children very accurately. While this would certainly increase survey costs, the costs to society of making less than the best policy choices are likely to be even higher.
Bibliography Citation
Phipps, Shelley, Peter Burton, Lynn Lethbridge and Lars Osberg. "Measuring Obesity in Young Children ." Canadian Public Policy / Analyse de Politiques 30, 4 (December 2004): 349-364.