Identification and follow-up of obesity in ten-year-old school children.
OBJECTIVE
Growth surveillance of children in school health services is a routine in Sweden. We describe the effect at follow-up of an overt identification of obesity in school children.


METHODS
Follow-up data were collected in two populations of ten-year-old children with obesity. Children in the study group belonged to a cohort born in 1990. Here the presence of obesity had been identified at the routine growth screening, and intervention activities against obesity had been actively offered. Controls belonged to a cohort born in 1989.


RESULTS
Of the 176 children with obesity, 91 were in the study group (41 girls) and 85 (44 girls) in the control group. No differences were found between the groups in age, gender or body mass index at baseline. At follow-up, after one to two years, children in the study group had a modest but significantly more pronounced decrease in the relative body mass index, compared with controls. The mean difference between the populations in body mass index standard deviation score (z-score) after adjustment for baseline body mass index and follow-up time was -0.14 (95% confidence interval: -0.25 to -0.02; P=0.027). Socioeconomic status, gender, follow-up time and group were independent predictors for change in body mass index z-score.


CONCLUSIONS
To identify children with obesity in a routine school health survey may be a crucial initial step in the management of childhood obesity.
Mériaux
Benita Gunnarsson
BG
Institute of Health and Care Sciences, The Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden. benita.g.meriaux@comhem.se
Hellström
Anna-Lena
AL
Mårild
Staffan
S
D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D012572:School Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors