title: Otitis media and associations with overweight status in toddlers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Otitis media (OM) is a significant disease that affects nearly all children early in life. Recently, childhood overweight has become an epidemic. Past research has demonstrated that a history of OM is related to food preferences and overweight through proposed physiological mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between recurrent OM (ROM)/tympanostomy tube treatment and overweight status.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were analyzed from a prospective cohort of mothers and children recruited from 1991-1996 from a local health maintenance organization. ROM and tympanostomy tube status were obtained through a combination of physical exam and medical record abstraction. ROM and tympanostomy tube status were analyzed as categorical variables with weight-for-length (WFL) data from well child checks. Chi-square and logistic regression for univariate and multivariate analyses were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  11.4% of children had a WFL measure at two years of age ≥ 95 th percentile. Those children with a history of tympanostomy tube treatment had a significantly increased risk of having a WFL ≥ 95 th percentile after controlling for birth weight, maternal prenatal smoking, maternal education, and family income (OR 3.32, 95% CI 1.43-7.72). The alternative hypothesis that children with larger WFL at two month of age would have a greater number of OM episodes by two years of age was not significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of this study are consistent with the hypothesis and prior research that OM treated with tympanostomy tubes is associated with overweight status.
authors.affiliation: University of Minnesota, Department of Otolaryngology, MMC 396, 420 Delaware St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. nels1226@umn.edu
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Daly
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Davey
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Himes
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Synder
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Bartoshuk
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008876:Middle Ear Ventilation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D012307:Risk Factors