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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study

Published on: February 2, 2017

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Effect of childhood obesity on admissions for respiratory disease

Jayme Ogino1, Sunniya Basravi1,2, Adler Salazar1,3

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Los Angeles County + University of Southern California Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)
|November 7, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Higher body mass index was not associated with increased disease severity or poorer outcomes in children with acute respiratory distress. This study found no significant differences in illness severity or clinical outcomes between obese and non-obese pediatric patients.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric critical care medicine
  • Obesity and health outcomes
  • Respiratory failure research

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a growing concern with potential health implications.
  • Understanding the impact of body mass index on acute illnesses in children is crucial for effective treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between elevated body mass index (BMI) and the severity of acute respiratory distress and failure in pediatric patients.
  • To determine if obesity independently influences morbidity and mortality in children hospitalized for respiratory emergencies.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on pediatric patients (2-20 years) admitted for acute respiratory distress or failure.
  • Disease severity was measured using the respiratory component of the Pediatric Early Warning Score (PEWS) adjusted for altered mental status (Resp-PEWS + AMS).
  • Outcomes assessed included hospital and intensive care unit length of stay (LOS) and mortality.

Main Results:

  • Obese children constituted 13% of the study cohort (42/334).
  • No significant differences were observed in Resp-PEWS + AMS scores between obese and non-obese children.
  • Hospital LOS, intensive care LOS, and mortality did not differ significantly between the groups, even after multivariate analysis.

Conclusions:

  • Body habitus, specifically obesity, was not found to be an independent predictor of illness severity in pediatric patients with acute respiratory distress and failure.
  • Clinical outcomes, including length of stay and mortality, were not significantly impacted by obesity in this cohort.
Abstract

Keywords:
asthmahospital admissionsobesityoverweightrespiratory illness

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