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Overweight and obesity among children with developmental disabilities

Sukanya De1, Jacqueline Small, Louise A Baur

  • 1The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW, Australia. dr.sukanyade@gmail.com

Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability
|February 27, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Overweight and obesity are significantly more common in children with developmental disabilities compared to the general population. This highlights an urgent need for targeted health strategies to manage weight in this vulnerable group.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Developmental Disabilities Research
  • Public Health Nutrition

Background:

  • Assessing the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children with developmental disabilities.
  • Identifying potential disparities in weight status within this population.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children with developmental disabilities.
  • To compare these rates with the general population.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective chart review of 98 children (aged 2-18 years) with developmental disabilities.
  • Calculation of Body Mass Index (BMI) using weight and height data.
  • Classification of overweight and obesity based on international criteria.

Main Results:

  • 40% of children with developmental disabilities were either overweight (24%) or obese (15%).
  • This prevalence is significantly higher than in the general Australian school population (23%).
  • Statistical significance confirmed for higher overweight (p = .05) and obesity (p = .0003) rates.

Conclusions:

  • Children with developmental disabilities exhibit a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity.
  • Further community-based studies with larger samples are needed.
  • Development of specific healthcare strategies for prevention and management is crucial.
Abstract

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