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Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Pediatricians Ignore Overweight Kids

Doctors are not diagnosing children as obese or overweight, according to a new study of children's doctors' visits. Without a proper diagnosis, an overweight child misses out on interventions that could help him or her become healthy.

"This is a bit of a wake-up call to pediatricians that as many as 90% of overweight children are not being properly diagnosed," said Dr. David Kaelber, a medical professor at Case Western University and lead author of the study.

Dr. Kaelber examined the Body Mass Index measurements of over 60,000 children 2 to 18 years old from well-child check-ups during the years 1999-2007. About 19% of the children were overweight, but only 10% received that diagnosis. Of the 23% who were obese, only 54% were diagnosed that way. Over 75% of the severely obese children received a proper diagnosis.

Dr. Kaelber was concerned with children in the overweight category. "Better identification of this group of children who have just crossed into the 'unhealthy' weight category is essential for early intervention which will hopefully prevent not only a childhood of increased health problems, but also what now often becomes an ongoing battle through adulthood with lifelong issues," he said.

This study appears in the journal Pediatrics.

Labels: perceptions, pediatricians

Posted By: Aspen Education Group

Comments:

Lori on 2/7/2009
I couldn't agree with this more. I am in the weight loss business, and recently did a video for my own site on this very subject, and the man who interviewed me for it IS a pediatrician. Outside of a child's mom and dad, that child's pediatrician is the MOST IMPORTANT first-other adult they will have in their lives. The pediatrician owes it to the child to speak candidly to the parent, usually the mom, at every well visit---espeically as the doctor sees that the child's percentile weight is starting to exceed stature. He/she can't be concerned with how the parent will receive the doctor's comments; only that they do. Every day I hear the same thing from parents: My pediatrician didn't say anything; my pediatrician said to bring my child to the gym; my pediatrician said my child should eat less and exercise more; my pediatrician said not to make a big deal of the weight because we didn't want my child to have an eating disorder ... and on and on and on ... like a 12 year old who is 100pounds overweight isn't ALREADY one with an eating disorder! And, let's face it ... perhaps many pediatricians are uncomfortable having these conversations because they, too, are oftentimes overweight as are many of their staffs. In my opinion, parents are 100% responsible for the environemnt they create for their children, but pediatricians have fallen down in their jobs as relates to PREVENTIVE issues, both medical and emotional, that arise in overweight children.