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Prevalence of overweight in Dutch children with Down syndrome

Helma B M van Gameren-Oosterom1, Paula van Dommelen, Yvonne Schönbeck

  • 1Departments of Child Health, Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, TNO, Leiden, Netherlands. helma.vangameren@tno.nl

Pediatrics
|November 14, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Children with Down syndrome (DS) show significantly higher rates of overweight and obesity compared to the general population. Early awareness and intervention are crucial for preventing associated health complications in this vulnerable group.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Genetics and Human Development
  • Public Health Nutrition

Background:

  • Rising prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity poses significant health risks.
  • Down syndrome (DS) is associated with unique growth patterns and potential health comorbidities.
  • Establishing accurate growth references is essential for monitoring child health in specific populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To establish weight growth references for Dutch children with Down syndrome (DS).
  • To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in a nationwide sample of Dutch children with DS.
  • To analyze the impact of comorbidities on overweight and obesity rates in children with DS.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective collection of longitudinal growth data from 1596 Dutch children with trisomy 21 (born after 1982).
  • Application of the LMS method for calculating weight and BMI references.
  • Utilized International Obesity Task Force BMI cutoff values to define overweight and obesity, with multilevel logistic regression for statistical analysis.

Main Results:

  • Healthy children with DS exhibited higher overweight prevalence (25.5% boys, 32.0% girls) versus the general Dutch population (13.3% boys, 14.9% girls).
  • Obesity rates were also elevated in children with DS (4.2% boys, 5.1% girls) compared to controls (1.8% boys, 2.2% girls).
  • No significant difference in overweight prevalence was observed between DS children with or without concomitant disorders.

Conclusions:

  • Dutch children with Down syndrome face alarmingly high rates of overweight and obesity throughout childhood and adolescence.
  • Healthcare professionals must recognize and address the heightened risk of overweight and obesity in children with DS.
  • Proactive management is necessary to mitigate potential health complications arising from excess weight in this population.
Abstract

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