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Childhood Obesity Risk Evaluation based on perinatal factors and family sociodemographic characteristics: CORE index
Yannis Manios1, Manolis Birbilis, George Moschonis
1Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University of Athens, Athens, Greece. manios@hua.gr
Insights
A new Childhood Obesity Risk Evaluation (CORE) index identifies children at risk using maternal and infant factors. This simple tool aids early intervention strategies for childhood obesity prevention.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern.
- Early identification of at-risk children is crucial for intervention.
- Predictive tools can aid in risk stratification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate the Childhood Obesity Risk Evaluation (CORE) index.
- To estimate late childhood obesity risk using perinatal and sociodemographic factors.
- To provide a tool for early identification of children susceptible to obesity.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study with retrospective data.
- Sample of 2,294 primary schoolchildren (9-13 years) from Greece.
- Developed the CORE index using maternal prepregnancy weight, smoking, education, infant weight gain, and child's gender.
Main Results:
- The CORE index score ranges from 0 to 11, correlating with obesity risk (4-40%).
- A cutoff score of ≤ 5 effectively distinguished obese from non-obese children.
- The index demonstrated 54% sensitivity and 65% specificity.
Conclusions:
- The CORE index and risk chart can assist healthcare professionals in identifying at-risk children.
- This tool supports early childhood obesity prevention initiatives.
- The CORE index is a simple, cost-effective method for risk assessment.
Unlabelled:
The aim of this study was to develop an index that estimates late childhood obesity risk based on certain perinatal and family sociodemographic characteristics. The study was cross-sectional with retrospectively collected data from a representative sample of 2,294 primary schoolchildren, aged 9-13 years, in four counties from north, west, central, and south Greece. Mother's prepregnancy weight status, maternal smoking during pregnancy, maternal educational level, and infant weight gain in the first 6 months of life were combined with children's gender for the development of the Childhood Obesity Risk Evaluation (CORE) index. The score of the CORE index ranged from 0 to 11 units and each unit was associated with an obesity risk probability (range, 4-40 %). Cutoff point analysis revealed that a score ≤ 5 units best discriminated obese from non-obese children. On the basis of this cutoff point, the sensitivity of the CORE index was 54 % and the corresponding specificity 65 %.
Conclusions:
The proposed CORE index and the relevant percent risk probability chart could be used by pediatricians and other health professionals to identify children at high risk for obesity from early life. This simple and inexpensive tool could be useful in assisting early childhood obesity preventing initiatives.
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