Body Composition and Energy Expenditure in Youth With Spina Bifida: Protocol for a Multisite, Cross-Sectional Study

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Health
• Biostatistics
• Clinical Research

Background:

• Youth with spina bifida have higher obesity rates than typically developing peers.
• Obesity in this population leads to significant lifelong health burdens.
• Current methods for assessing body fat and energy expenditure are inadequate for clinical use in this group.

Purpose of the Study:

• Develop algorithms to model body fat in youth with spina bifida.
• Create algorithms to predict total daily energy expenditure for accurate caloric recommendations.
• Describe physical activity and dietary intake patterns in the study sample.

Main Methods:

• Multisite, prospective study enrolling 232 youth (ages 5-18) with myelomeningocele.
• Collected data on body composition, height, activity (accelerometry), and nutrition over one week.
• Utilized doubly labeled water protocol for energy expenditure assessment.

Main Results:

• As of April 2024, 143 out of 232 participants have been enrolled.
• Data collection is ongoing, with an expected continuation throughout 2024.
• Pilot work confirmed feasibility of obtaining body composition and energy expenditure measures.

Conclusions:

• Study findings will improve screening, prevention, and treatment of abnormal weight status in youth with spina bifida.
• Accurate identification of weight status and caloric needs will be facilitated.
• Potential to benefit youth with other disabilities facing similar body composition or measurement challenges.