Obesity Was Associated With Learning Disabilities in Children and Adolescents Living in the USA

Previous studies have linked general obesity to learning disabilities, but the association of general and central obesity with learning disabilities remains unclear. This study aimed to assess their associations in USA children and adolescents.

We analysed 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data to evaluate the associations between BMI (≥ 95th percentile) and WHR (≥ 0.5) and parent-reported learning disabilities, using multivariable logistic regression and restricted cubic splines.

Among 6944 participants (mean age, 10.2 ± 3.5 years, 3400 male [50.9%]), 739 had learning disabilities. Adjusted odds ratios showed significant links between learning disabilities and general obesity (BMI-for-age ≥ 95th percentile) and central obesity (WHR ≥ 0.5). A J-shaped relationship was found for BMI ≥ 19.2 kg/m² (OR 1.046, 95% CI 1.015-1.078; p = 0.0033), while WHR showed a weak linear association with learning disabilities (p = 0.093).

General and central obesity were associated with learning disabilities, exhibiting distinct patterns for BMI and WHR. However, due to the cross-sectional nature of the data, causality cannot be established.