Rise in children treated for obesity-related conditions

In a paper published in the journal PLoS One, Dr Jessica Jones Neilsen and colleagues from the Department of Primary Care & Public Health at Imperial College London reported that the number of children admitted to hospital for problems related to obesity in England and Wales quadrupled between 2000 and 2009. Nearly three quarters of these admissions were to deal with problems complicated by obesity such as asthma, breathing difficulties during sleep, and complications of pregnancy, rather than obesity itself being the primary reason. Although some of the increase is likely to be due to improved case ascertainment, conditions associated with obesity in children and young people are imposing greater challenges for health care providers in English hospitals.

The authors concluded that most inpatient care is directed at dealing with associated conditions rather than primary assessment and management of obesity itself. With levels of admissions for obesity-related diagnoses rising, there is likely to be increasing demand on health services and also greater use of more radical interventions, such as pharmacological or surgical treatment, as part of efforts to address the increasing trend of obesity that threatens the lives of many children and young people in England and globally.

The findings from the paper were widely reported in the media, including by the BBC, Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail, as well as by the Imperial College Press Office.

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