Obesity increases medication use in kids

The medicine goes up…

The experts have long been warning that child obesity is a ticking time bomb that will eventually explode in our faces with a generation of youngsters laid low by hypertension, heart disease and diabetes – all associated with excess weight – and destined to die before their parents.

New research carried out at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine and School of Public Health demonstrate that these dire prophecies may be coming true before our eyes, with tweens – girls in particular, who showed a 166% increase – more than doubling their use of medications for type II diabetes between 2002 and 2005. Kids’ use of medications to treat hypertension and high cholesterol levels also increased. The study also indicated increased use of antidepressants among teenage girls, although use of these medications decreased among 5-9 year olds and boys aged 10-19.

“These patterns could reflect changing prescribing behaviors by physicians (anti-hypertensives), increases in the risk factors for chronic diseases (type-2 antidiabetics, antihyperlipidemics), increased office visit rates and therefore screening rates – particularly for females – or trends toward greater use of drug therapy as the preferred mode of treating children with chronic conditions,” said Sharon M. Homan, PhD, professor of community health at Saint Louis University School of Public Health.

 

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