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Paediatric obesity diagnosis and intervention practices in Australian hospitals - Australia-wide survey
Linnette M Ocariza1, Gary M Leong2,3, Sowmya Gandham4,5
1Medical JMO, Nepean Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Insights
Australian hospitals show varied approaches to inpatient pediatric obesity care. A national protocol is desired, but resource concerns hinder consistent identification and referral for children with obesity.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Public Health
- Clinical Practice
Background:
- Inconsistent identification and management of pediatric obesity in Australian hospitals.
- Lack of a unified approach to addressing inpatient children with obesity.
Purpose of the Study:
- Describe current clinical practices for pediatric obesity in Australian hospitals.
- Identify discrepancies in care to inform a unified national response.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional exploratory online survey.
- Distributed to major Australian pediatric inpatient departments.
- Response rate of 68%.
Main Results:
- Only 20% of departments regularly record body mass index.
- 66% address weight issues, but only 8% consistently refer to outpatient services.
- 88% support a national protocol, citing resource limitations.
Conclusions:
- Findings can inform a guideline for a unified approach to identifying children with overweight and obesity as inpatients.
- Highlights the need for standardized protocols and resource allocation.
Aim:
Previous studies suggest a lack of a unified approach in identifying and addressing children with obesity while being inpatients in individual Australian hospitals. Our study aimed to describe current clinical practice across Australia and identify discrepancies that can aid in developing a more unified response to children identified with obesity as hospital inpatients.
Methods:
A cross-sectional exploratory online survey was distributed to major paediatric in-patient departments in Australia, with a response rate of 68%. Questions focused on education, identification, interventions and attitudes towards a national protocol.
Results:
Twenty percent of respondents indicated that staff in their department regularly record body mass index, 66% address weight issues and only 8% consistently refer to appropriate outpatient services. Although 88% of respondents believe that a national protocol for addressing paediatric obesity would be beneficial, respondents emphasised concerns regarding their local resources.
Conclusion:
Our study can inform the development of a guideline for a unified response to opportunistically identify children with overweight and obesity as inpatients.
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