Prevalence of obesity in a paediatric outpatient clinic

Abstract

This study assessed the rate of overweight and obese children at a general paediatric outpatient clinic, Mater Dei Hospital, Malta, in 2011. This was an observational, prospective study where 220 patients aged 2-14 years attending this clinic, with a preponderance of asthmatic children, had their height and weight measured and their BMI calculated. Overall, 40.5% of the children were either overweight (14.1%) or obese (26.4%). There were more obese boys (31.8%) than girls (18.2%) (p=0.025). Half of the asthmatic patients were overweight or obese (49.6%), compared to a quarter of the non-asthmatic patients (27.5%) (p=0.001). The high rate of obesity in this setting presents an opportunity and challenge for paediatricians to address the most important nutritional problem in children.