Kid weight problems dismissed by doctors
Introduction
Doctors may not properly diagnosing overweight and obesity in children…
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Kids’ weight problems missed…
Despite recent widespread media attention given to studies that have indicated one-third of American children have a weight problem, a new study shows just one-third of children who are overweight or obese actually receive that diagnosis from a pediatrician.
The study also stresses that this failure to diagnose appears to mostly impact children who may most greatly benefit from early intervention. Using electronic medical records (EMR), researchers reviewed BMI (body mass index, a measure of body fat) measurements recorded for 60,711 2-18 year olds who had at least one well-child visit between June 1999 and October 2007. The BMI measurement showed that 19% (11,277) of the children were overweight, 23% (14,105) were obese, and 8% (4,670) were severely obese.
Overweight is defined as a BMI between the 85th-95th percentile; obesity is defined as a BMI greater than the 95th percentile; and severely obese is a BMI equal or greater to the 99th percentile. While 76% of severely obese children and 54% of obese children were diagnosed, just 10% of overweight patients received a proper diagnosis.
“Despite having set pediatric BMI guidelines, this is a bit of a wake-up call to pediatricians that as many as 90% of overweight children are not being properly diagnosed,” says David C Kaelber, MD, PhD, MPH., lead author of the study. “Better identification of this group of children who have just crossed into the ‘unhealthy’ weight category is essential for early intervention which will hopefully prevent not only a childhood of increased health problems, but also what now often becomes an ongoing battle through adulthood with life-long issues.”
The study is published in the January issue of the journal Pediatrics.
Supernanny Team
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