Clinical Research on Risk Factors for Childhood Obesity

Lopez-Arnaiz DA, Parra-Ramirez BY, Benavides MGA, Oropeza-Negrete A and Curi-Curi PJ

Published on: 2025-06-24

Abstract

Background: Childhood obesity is considered a serious worldwide public health problem. In pediatric population over 5 years of age, obesity is defined as a body mass index above the 95th percentile or two standard deviations above the mean. Clinical approach to childhood obesity is often insufficient to integrate diagnosis, so use of reliable, objective and efficient measurement tools is essential to corroborate the initial suspicion.

Methods: A retrospective, analytical, cross-sectional, case-control clinical study was designed. Recruited patients underwent various somatometric, biochemical, and echocardiographic measurements.

Results: We recruited 86 patients, child with obesity (35) without obesity (51). Risk factors that most influence childhood obesity are hip >70 cm (OR 2390.3, 95% CI -94.6 to 60386.1), triglycerides >60 mg/dl (OR 36.1, 95% CI -7.7 to 169.2) and interventricular septum thickness in diastole (IVSd) > 8 mm (OR 27.4, 95% CI -1.6 to 477.6).The hip has a prior probability of 41% with a positive likelihood ratio of 51 and a negative likelihood ratio of 0. Triglycerides have a prior probability of 57% with a positive likelihood ratio of 12 and a negative likelihood ratio of 0.35. Finally, the interventricular septal thickness in diastole has a prior probability of 84% with a positive likelihood ratio of 0 and a negative likelihood ratio of 0.51.

Conclusion: Somatometric criteria in addition to biochemical and echocardiographic evaluation of our patients, represents a great advance in the clinical algorithm of obesity, marking the course of prevention, diagnosis, timely and adequate treatment in the pediatric population.