Overview

Abstract (English)

Objective To evaluate whether combining three cycles of the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) produces provincially representative and valid estimates of overweight and obesity in Ontario and Quebec. Setting An ongoing, nationally representative health survey in Canada, with data released every 2 years. Objective measures of height and weight were taken at mobile examination centres located within 100 km of participants’ residences. To increase sample size, we combined three cycles completed during 2007-2013. Participants 5740 Ontario residents and 3980 Quebec residents aged 6-79, with birth dates and directly measured height and weight recorded in the CHMS. Pregnant females were excluded. Sociodemographic characteristics of the Ontario and Quebec portions of the CHMS appeared similar to characteristics from the 2006 Canada Census. Primary outcome measures Objectively measured overweight and obesity prevalence overall and among males and females in the following age groups: 6-11, 12-19, 20-39, 40-59 and 60-79. We compared these with provincially representative and objectively measured estimates from the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)-Nutrition. Results 57.1% (95% CI 52.8% to 61.4%) of Ontarians were classified overweight or obese and 24.0% (95% CI 20.3% to 27.6%) obese, while Quebec’s corresponding percentages were 56.2% (95% CI 51.3% to 61.1%) and 24.4% (95% CI 20.6% to 28.3%). Generally, overweight and obesity combined was higher in older age groups and males. Comparisons with the CCHS-Nutrition did not yield unexplainable differences between surveys. Conclusions Combining three CHMS cycles can produce estimates of overweight and obesity in populations representative of Ontario and Quebec. As new CHMS data are collected, these estimates can be updated and used to evaluate trends. Strengths and limitations of this study In the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, this is the first study to estimate overweight and obesity prevalence using objective measures that will be updated regularly. This study assesses important attributes of the data to verify the validity of the estimates of overweight and obesity. The proportion of true cases of overweight and obesity that are identified by this study is difficult to assess due to the absence of gold-standard data on overweight and obesity. This study examines people aged 6-79, so is not able to estimate overweight and obesity among small children or the elderly.

Abstract (French)

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