Abstract
Aims To identify parent-level and child-level risk factors for childhood obesity, to study health consequences and medical service utilization among the overweight children.
Methods The study included families with children aged 4–11 years old, registered with Maccabi Healthcare Services at 2 community clinics in the Greater Jerusalem Area. During 2008, 409 mothers completed questionnaires and interviewers weighed and measured 714 children. There was a 50% response rate. Information on associated morbidity and utilization of Health Services was obtained from Maccabi’s computerized database.
Results Approximately 30% (122 of 409) of the families had at least one overweight or obese child (BMI>85th percentile / BMI>95th percentile, respectively). Twenty percent of the children sampled were overweight or obese(overweight:11.9%, 85 of 714. obese: 8.3%, 59 of 714). The variables with an independent effect on having at least one overweight child in the family were: father of Asian-African origin; immigration to Israel since 1995; non-academic education; a maternal age less than 40; a mother who had a history of being overweight and who reported lack of control over her eating habits. Variables with an independent effect on children’s obesity/overweight were: age below 7 years old; eats a broad variety of foods (not fussy); has an ‘inactive’ lifestyle; eats the main daily meal at a daycare center or afternoon enrichment center at least once a week. Among the overweight children, mainly in the 7–11 age groups, a higher rate of associated morbidity (particularly asthma, orthopedic problems and dermatological conditions) was documented. The service utilization rates were also higher among overweight children compared to children within the normal weight range.
Conclusions Pro-active medical monitoring of overweight or obese children must be encouraged even if they do not present other symptoms. Parents and caregivers should be provided with information regarding the risk factors for obesity, as some of those are modifiable. It is recommended that a follow-up study be conducted with a national representative sample of children to verify the findings.
