Variation in establishing a diagnosis of obesity in children.
Consensus guidelines provide recommendations for the diagnosis and management of obesity. We conducted a medical record review of children initially diagnosed with obesity at a general pediatrics visit. The diagnosis was made most often at health maintenance visits (46%). Body mass index was documented in 5% of initial visits; 74% had documentation of obesity-related history; 64% had documentation of counseling. In multivariate analysis, male patients were more likely to have diet history documentation; female patients were more likely to have weight loss program referrals. Future research should assess pediatricians' perceptions about obesity to better understand clinical practice patterns.
Mabry
Iris R
IR
Agency for Healthcare Quality, Rockville, MD 20850, USA.
Clark
Sarah J
SJ
Kemper
Alex
A
Fraser
Kiesha
K
Kileny
Sharon
S
Cabana
Michael D
MD
D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003376:Counseling; D004282:Documentation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008824:Michigan; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D010372:Pediatrics; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'