Obesity Prevalence in Pediatric Headaches / 대한소아신경학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Obesity and headache are two highly prevalent diseases both in childhood and adolescent. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of obesity in pediatric headaches patients in a single institution in Korea, and differences according to age, sex, headache type, frequency, intensity, and disability. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 340 subjects (6–18 years of age) who visited the Pediatric Headache Clinic of Bucheon St. Mary's Hospital during the period from January 2015 through March 2018. Data on age, sex, height and weight, as well as headache type, frequency, intensity and disability, were collected. Body Mass Index (BMI) percentile was calculated based on the 2017 Korean Children Adolescence Growth Chart. RESULTS: 17.6% of the pediatric headache patients were obese. The prevalence of obesity in male patients was higher than females (Male 23.8% VS Female 11.6%, P=0.002). There were no significant differences in obesity rate according to age, headache type, frequency, intensity, and disability. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of obesity in the pediatric headache population was 17.6% which is higher than 10.1% in general population (Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, KNHANES, 2013).