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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Identification and follow-up of obesity in ten-year-old school children
Benita Gunnarsson Mériaux1, Anna-Lena Hellström, Staffan Mårild
1Institute of Health and Care Sciences, The Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden. benita.g.meriaux@comhem.se
Insights
Identifying childhood obesity during routine school screenings can lead to modest but significant improvements in body mass index (BMI) over time. Early intervention following obesity identification shows positive effects on children's BMI management.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Growth Monitoring
Background:
- Routine growth surveillance is standard in Swedish school health services.
- Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern requiring effective management strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of overt identification of obesity in school children on their body mass index (BMI) at follow-up.
- To assess the effectiveness of interventions offered after obesity identification in a school health setting.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving two cohorts of ten-year-old children with obesity.
- The study group (born 1990) received interventions after obesity identification; the control group (born 1989) did not.
- Follow-up data were collected one to two years after initial screening.
Main Results:
- No baseline differences in age, gender, or BMI z-score between the 91 study children and 85 control children.
- The study group showed a statistically significant, albeit modest, greater decrease in relative BMI compared to controls (mean difference in BMI z-score: -0.14, P=0.027).
- Independent predictors for BMI z-score change included socioeconomic status, gender, follow-up duration, and group allocation.
Conclusions:
- Overt identification of childhood obesity during routine school health surveys is a critical first step in managing the condition.
- Early identification and intervention can contribute to improved BMI outcomes in children.
- School health services play a vital role in the early detection and management of childhood obesity.
Objective:
Growth surveillance of children in school health services is a routine in Sweden. We describe the effect at follow-up of an overt identification of obesity in school children.
Methods:
Follow-up data were collected in two populations of ten-year-old children with obesity. Children in the study group belonged to a cohort born in 1990. Here the presence of obesity had been identified at the routine growth screening, and intervention activities against obesity had been actively offered. Controls belonged to a cohort born in 1989.
Results:
Of the 176 children with obesity, 91 were in the study group (41 girls) and 85 (44 girls) in the control group. No differences were found between the groups in age, gender or body mass index at baseline. At follow-up, after one to two years, children in the study group had a modest but significantly more pronounced decrease in the relative body mass index, compared with controls. The mean difference between the populations in body mass index standard deviation score (z-score) after adjustment for baseline body mass index and follow-up time was -0.14 (95% confidence interval: -0.25 to -0.02; P=0.027). Socioeconomic status, gender, follow-up time and group were independent predictors for change in body mass index z-score.
Conclusions:
To identify children with obesity in a routine school health survey may be a crucial initial step in the management of childhood obesity.
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