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Are Pediatricians Diagnosing Obese Children?
Katharine Thomas1, Fernando Urrego2
1Department of Research, Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans, LA ; The University of Queensland School of Medicine, Ochsner Clinical School, New Orleans, LA.
Ochsner Journal
|March 24, 2017
Summary
Pediatricians underdiagnose obesity, with only 1.32% of records showing an obesity diagnosis despite high prevalence. This highlights a critical gap in identifying children needing weight management resources.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Public Health
- Clinical Informatics
Background:
- Pediatric obesity is a significant public health issue in American children.
- Underreporting of obesity diagnoses by clinicians is a documented problem.
- Addressing pediatric obesity is crucial due to its social, psychological, and physiological impacts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the documentation rates of overweight and obese Body Mass Index (BMI) diagnoses by pediatricians.
- To analyze the demographics of pediatric patients within the Ochsner Health System for program development.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 175,006 pediatric medical records.
- Data collected from April 1, 2012, to April 1, 2016.
- Analysis focused on the presence of 'obese' or 'overweight' BMI diagnoses.
Main Results:
- Only 1.32% of records documented obesity, and 0.5% documented overweight.
- Actual prevalence meeting CDC criteria was 28.66% for obesity and 30.41% for overweight.
- Patient demographics: 51.76% male, 43.31% white, 43.80% aged 5-12 years.
Conclusions:
- Pediatricians at Ochsner Health Center for Children are underdiagnosing overweight and obesity.
- There is a need for interventions to improve the identification of children with unhealthy BMIs.
- Early identification is key to connecting children with resources for healthy lifestyles and weight management.
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