[Obesity in children: value of clinical evaluation criteria]

To clarify risk factors for obesity in children and look for factors affecting prognosis, simple clinical parameters were analyzed in 113 obese children at the first visit and during treatment. Height and weight charts were constructed. The main risk factors were parental obesity, excess weight at the age of one and above all young age at the time of the rebound in body mass index (W/H2). Severity of obesity was unrelated to spontaneous caloric intake but was negatively correlated with age at the time of rebound in body mass index (r = -0.34; p = 0.017) and above all with age at onset of obesity (r = -0.53; p < 0.001). Closely spaced measurements of weight, stature, and body mass index in high risk children would allow appropriate preventive treatment before the phase of established obesity. Curative treatment is disappointing: only 28% of the study subjects achieved significant reductions in weight.