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Obesity-related hospitalizations among children quadruples in England
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In recent years, the number of children hospitalized for obesity-related conditions increased fourfold within the vicinity of England and Wales, according to researchers at the Imperial College of London.
“The burden of obesity is usually thought to have its serious consequences in adulthood, but we now see it manifesting earlier, in childhood,” researcher Sonia Saxena,MBBS, MSc, MD, MRCGP, said in a press release. “It’s clear that rising obesity levels are causing more medical problems in children, but the rise we observed probably also reflects increasing awareness among clinicians, who have become better at recognizing obesity.”
Saxena and colleagues used the Hospital Episodes Statistics database and reported a fourfold increase in hospital admission rates for obesity from 21 per million children (median age, 13 years) in 2000 (95% CI, 17.5-24.5) to 78.8 per million in 2009 (95% CI, 77-80.6).
Further, admission rates for obesity as a comorbidity (ie, sleep apnea, asthma and complications of pregnancy) increased from 70 per million children (median age, 14 years) in 2000 (95% CI, 65.6-78.4) to 335.3 per million in 2009 (95% CI, 332.3-338.3), according to data.
Moreover, the number of bariatric surgery procedures increased from one per year in 2000 to 31 in 2009, mostly among obese girls (75.6%) aged 13 to 19 years.
Although the increase for obesity tended to continue, admission rates due to obesity declined by 14.4%, from 92 per million children in 2008 (95% CI, 90.3-93.7) to 78.8 in 2009 (P<.001), according to data.
“It’s important that doctors speak to patients about their weight because any attempt to help their patients must begin by recognizing the problem,” Saxena said.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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