title: Diagnostic procedures and treatment of childhood obesity by pediatricians: 'The Dutch approach'.
abstract: Child Public Health professionals in the Netherlands refer obese children to a pediatrician to check for underlying causes and comorbidity. What happens to these children in terms of diagnostics and treatment when they visit a pediatrician? To get an overview of the diagnostic procedures and treatment methods a questionnaire was developed and sent to all 583 pediatricians in the Netherlands. Data was obtained of 290 pediatricians from 85% of the general hospitals and all (8) academic hospitals. To define childhood obesity Dutch pediatricians most often use the adult Body Mass Index, only 34% use the sex and age specific IOTF-BMI-criteria. 11% of the (non-obese) overweight children visiting a pediatrician have already comorbidities. All pediatricians perform at least weight and height measurements. Waist circumference is measured by only 42%, ninety-five percent measure blood pressure. To treat obese children without comorbidity thirty different intervention programs were reported. A large variation in diagnostics and interventions of childhood obesity exist. Guidelines in pediatric obesity for diagnostics and treatment are urgently needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public and Occupational Health, EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Luuk
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Schwiebbe
authors.forename: Henk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Talma
authors.forename: Edgar G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: van Mil
authors.forename: Willem P F
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Fetter
authors.forename: Remy A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Hirasing
authors.forename: Carry M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Renders
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D019937:Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires