ABSTRACT
Objectives: The social outcomes in adulthood for pediatric patients with obesity are not well-described. This study investigated lifetime criminal behavior and homeownership in youth with obesity. Methods: Retrospective data on all children enrolled in the weight management program from 1999 to 2009 and who completed exercise testing were collected. Demographic and public record collection included body habitus, death records, real estate transactions, and criminal conviction history with comparisons made to published normative data. Results: In the children with obesity studied (N = 716; 12.0 ± 3.1 years old), the now-adult patients (28.5 ± 3.7 years) had a 1.5% mortality rate (11/716). Overall, 9.6% of these adults were convicted of a felony compared to ~7% lifetime prevalence in Ohio (p = 0.03). Also, 14.7% of study patients purchased a home compared to 38.3% of Midwest adults <30 years old (p < 0.0001). Mortality, history of a criminal conviction, or homeownership was associated with any exercise or study parameter. Conclusion: Children with obesity appear to have greater social risk than their peers in adulthood with higher rates of criminal behavior and lower rates of homeownership. This appears to highlight the need for treatment in this vulnerable group of children and young adults.
ABSTRACT
Physical activity (PA) is essential for youth weight management. FOCUS on a Fitter Future (FFF), a group of health care professionals from 25 children's hospitals, sponsored by the Children's Hospital Association, examined current care practices for overweight and obese youth with the goal of building consensus on outcome measurements and quality improvement for pediatric weight management programs (WMPs). WMPs completed a survey regarding PA practices, including testing, assessment and intervention. Consistency in general treatment practices was noted with variability in implementation. All programs included PA assessment and counseling. A majority of programs measured aerobic fitness, and more than half evaluated muscular fitness. Most offered group exercise sessions. Programs differed in availability of resources, assessment tools, interventions and outcome measures. Based on current practice and research, the FFF PA subgroup recommends key components for inclusion in a pediatric WMP: exercise testing, body composition assessment, PA and sedentary behaviors measures, individual exercise counseling, and group exercise programming.
