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CHICAGO, May 1, 2002
Childhood Obesity A Serious Problem
Study: Obesity-Related Diseases Have Increased Dramatically
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(AP / CBS)
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(CBS) A dramatic increase in diabetes and other
diseases related to childhood obesity in the United States has added millions of
dollars to health care costs, a study said Wednesday."
As
overweight children become overweight adults, the diseases associated
with
obesity and health care costs are likely to
increase even more," said the report
from the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The study, published
in the May issue of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of
Pediatrics, said a review of hospital records found that "the proportion of
discharges with obesity-associated diseases has increased dramatically in the
past 20 years."Researchers culled hospital discharge records, comparing
obesity-related hospitalizations of 6- to 17-year-olds between 1979 and 1981
with those from 1997 through 1999.Diabetes diagnoses nearly doubled,
accounting for 2.36 percent of child hospitalizations in the late '90s vs. 1.43
percent in the late '70s.Diagnoses of obesity alone tripled to reach 1
percent of hospitalizations.Hospital costs for diseases related to
childhood obesity increased from $35 million in 1979 to $127 million in 1999,
according to the study.About 13 percent of children and adolescents are
overweight or obese, more than double the number two decades ago. Experts blame
TV, computer games, lack of safe playgrounds and other factors that encourage
kids to be sedentary — plus more access to super-sized portions of high-calorie
foods.
At the
same time, more children are suffering Type 2 diabetes
, a dangerous
disease that once struck mostly in middle age. Obesity also can worsen asthma
and spark gallbladder disease. People even can die from obesity-caused sleep
apnea, Dietz notes, when fat in the back of the throat combines with large
tonsils to block the airway.CDC researchers culled hospital discharge
records, comparing obesity-related hospitalizations of 6- to 17-year-olds
between 1979 and 1981 with those from 1997 through 1999.Diabetes
diagnoses nearly doubled, accounting for 2.36 percent of child hospitalizations
in the late '90s vs. 1.43 percent in the late '70s, they reported Wednesday in
Pediatrics.Diagnoses of obesity alone tripled to reach 1 percent of
hospitalizations.Other obesity-related hospitalizations were more rare
but rising rapidly — sleep apnea rose fivefold and gallbladder disease tripled.
Asthma cases complicated by obesity rose 40 percent.The study may
surprise parents, but not obesity specialists who called it high time someone
pointed out the growing danger to youngsters."The kids who are fat are
getting really fatter," said Dr. Nazrat Mirza of Children's National Medical
Center, who has patients as young as 5 with obesity-caused sleep
apnea.
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