Characteristics and Factors Associated with Obesity and Thinness among Children with Developmental Disorders
The excessive
prevalence of obesity has been a growing concern worldwide in children as well
as adults. This unhealthy tendency has not shown signs of improvement, but
rather, it is steadily getting worse. It is well-known that childhood obesity
has a great risk of progression into adult obesity. And obesity in
childhood or adolescence has been recognized to be a risk factor for the onset
of lifestyle-related diseases, not only in healthy children, but also in
children with developmental disorders.
This study was
conducted to examine the characteristics of obesity and thinness as assessed by
the body fat percentage among children with developmental disorders during
certain growth periods and was also designed to investigate those factors
associated with obesity and thinness based on a lifestyle and behavioral
questionnaire.
The subjects
included 260 children (207 males and 53 females) from 5 to 18 years old with
developmental disorders. Each subject’s height was measured by a trained nurse.
Their body weights and body fat percentages were measured by employing a dual
frequency body composition analyzer (DC-320; Tanita, Tokyo, Japan). The parents
were asked about the daily lives of the children with developmental disorders
by using a 35-item questionnaire. While employing a
regression analysis with the body fat percentage as a dependent variable, the
significance of the relationship between the body fat percentage and each item
was examined after it was adjusted for sex and age.
The results of the
study showed that a decrease in thinness and increase in obesity with ageing
exhibited more noticeable trends among those children with mental retardation.
The factors associated with obesity in children with developmental disorders
were characterized by the dietary content, eating behaviors, and food
preferences particular to such children, as well as low physical activity and a
family history of obesity.
In conclusion, the
results of this study suggested the importance of continuous guidance along
with family participation in order to improve obesity among children with
developmental disorders, while focusing on the characteristics of certain
growth periods. Besides, adequate
and applicable procedures for health guidance on the improvement of obesity in
children with developmental disorders will be further explored.
Article by Keiko
Kasagi, et al, from Prefectural University of Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan.
Full access: http://suo.im/4wR1R2
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