title: Illness and determinants of health-related quality of life in a cross-sectional sample of schoolchildren in different weight categories.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study associations between health-related quality of life (HRQoL), frequency of illness, and weight in primary school children in southern Germany.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from baseline measurements of the outcome evaluation of a teacher based health promotion programme ("Join the Healthy Boat") were analysed. Parents provided information about their children's HRQoL (KINDL(R), EQ5D-Y Visual Analogue Scale). The number of visits to a physician, children's days of absence because of sickness, and parental days of absence from work due to their children's illness during the last year of school/kindergarten were queried. Children's weight status was determined by body mass index (BMI), central obesity by waist to height ratio (WHtR ≥0.5).
  
  
  RESULTS
  From 1,888 children (7.1±0.6 years), 7.8% were underweight, 82% had normal weight, 5.7% were overweight and 4.4% obese. 8.4% of all children were centrally obese. Bivariate analysis showed no significant differences for parental absence and visits to a physician in weight groups classified by BMI, but obese children had more sick days than non-obese. Centrally obese children differed significantly from the rest in the number of sick days and visits to a physician, but not in the frequency of parental absence. In regression analyses, central obesity correlated significantly with EQ5D-Y VAS, KINDL(R) total score and the subscales of "psyche", "family" and "friends". BMI weight groups showed no significant associations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Central obesity but not BMI derived overweight and obesity is associated with HRQoL and visits to a physician in primary school children. Future studies should include WHtR. Preventive measures for children should focus on a reduction of or slowed increase in waist circumference.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine II, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Dorothea
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kesztyüs
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine II, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schreiber
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine II, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kobel
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine II, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Olivia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Wartha
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Science, University of Applied Sciences, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Tibor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kesztyüs
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry II, Ulm University, Günzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Reinhold
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kilian
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine II, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Jürgen M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Steinacker
mesh_terms: D000041:Absenteeism; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006304:Health Status; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D009819:Office Visits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010820:Physicians / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014600:Utilization Review
keywords: Germany; body weights and measures; child; quality of life; sick leave