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Updated: Jul 7, 2025
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Impact of Weight on Severity of Hospital Course in Children Admitted With COVID-19
Nessa Tantivit1, Madhuri Mulekar1, Anne-Marie Kaulfers1
1University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA.
Insights
Weight status impacts COVID-19 outcomes in children. Higher BMI percentile in older children and lower weight-for-age percentile in younger children correlate with increased oxygen needs and longer hospital stays.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- COVID-19 affects children, with varying severity.
- Understanding factors influencing pediatric COVID-19 outcomes is crucial for effective management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between weight status and clinical outcomes in hospitalized children with COVID-19.
- To determine if weight parameters like Body Mass Index (BMI) percentile and weight-for-age (WFA) percentile influence length of stay (LOS) and oxygen requirements.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 153 pediatric COVID-19 admissions (March 2020 - October 2021).
- Weight status assessed using BMI percentile for children ≥2 years and WFA percentile for children <2 years.
- Analysis of correlations between weight status, LOS, and oxygen need.
Main Results:
- Distinct patterns observed for children <2 years and ≥2 years.
- Children ≥2 years with BMI ≥85th percentile had higher likelihood of oxygen requirement and LOS ≥5 days (P=.0415, P=.0197).
- In children <2 years, decreasing WFA percentile correlated with increased oxygen need (P=.0325) and negatively with LOS (r=-.31, P=.0123).
Conclusions:
- Age-specific stratification of pediatric COVID-19 patients based on weight status is essential.
- BMI and WFA percentiles are important indicators for predicting severity and resource utilization in hospitalized children with COVID-19.
Abstract:
Objective. To describe the impact of weight on length of stay (LOS) and oxygen requirement among hospitalized children with COVID-19. Methods. This is a retrospective review of 153 children admitted for COVID-19 from March 2020 to October 2021. Body mass index (BMI) percentile and weight-for-age (WFA) percentile were used to determine weight status for children ≥2 years and <2 years respectively. Results. We found 2 distinct patterns for patients <2 years and ≥2 years; The likelihood of needing oxygen and LOS ≥ 5 days was higher for children ≥2 years with BMI ≥ 85th percentile (P = .0415 and P = .0197). Among those <2 years, mean WFA percentile decreased with increasing oxygen need (P = .0325). There was a negative correlation between LOS and WFA percentile (r = -.31, P = .0123). Conclusion. It is important to stratify patients' risk according to their age, BMI and WFA percentile during hospitalization for COVID 19.
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