The prevalence of obesity in children with autism: a secondary data analysis using nationally representative data from the National Survey of Children's Health
Document Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2010-02-25Keywords
AdolescentAutistic Disorder
Child
Child, Preschool
Comorbidity
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
*Health Surveys
Humans
Infant
Male
Obesity
Prevalence
United States
Life Sciences
Medicine and Health Sciences
Pediatrics
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
BACKGROUND: The prevalence of childhood obesity has increased dramatically in the last two decades and numerous efforts to understand, intervene on, and prevent this significant threat to children's health are underway for many segments of the pediatric population. Understanding the prevalence of obesity in populations of children with developmental disorders is an important undertaking, as the factors that give rise to obesity may not be the same as for typically developing children, and because prevention and treatment efforts may need to be tailored to meet their needs and the needs of their families. The goal of the current study was to estimate the prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents with autism. METHODS: This study was a secondary data analysis of cross-sectional nationally representative data collected by telephone interview of parents/guardians on 85,272 children ages 3-17 from the 2003-2004 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). Autism was determined by response to the question, "Has a doctor or health professional ever told you that your child has autism?" Children and adolescents were classified as obese according to CDC guidelines for body mass index (BMI) for age and sex. RESULTS: The prevalence of obesity in children with autism was 30.4% compared to 23.6% of children without autism (p = .075). The unadjusted odds of obesity in children with autism was 1.42 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.00, 2.02, p = .052) compared to children without autism. CONCLUSIONS: Based on US nationally representative data, children with autism have a prevalence of obesity at least as high as children overall. These findings suggest that additional research is warranted to understand better the factors that influence the development of obesity in this population of children.Source
BMC Pediatr. 2010 Feb 23;10:11. Link to article on publisher's siteDOI
10.1186/1471-2431-10-11Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/39439PubMed ID
20178579Related Resources
Link to Article in PubMedae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1186/1471-2431-10-11