Development of RisObIn.Com, a Screening Tool for Risk of Childhood Obesity in the Community.

Ana Catarina Moreira,Raquel Ferreira,Rute Borrego,Daniel Virella,Patrícia Almeida Oliveira,Telma Nogueira

doi:10.3390/nu12113288

Abstract

The prevalence of childhood overweight has increased considerably in the past three decades and there is evidence that childhood obesity can persist into adulthood. A simple tool to identify relevant risk factors may alert families and prevent overweight and obesity. This study aims to develop a pre-school screening tool to assess the risk of childhood obesity. Child anthropometric measurements and several risk factors for childhood obesity factors were obtained. The effect of the variables on the outcome of obesity (defined as increased anthropometry-estimated adiposity) was assessed by binary logistic regression analyses. The identified variables were submitted for expert panel validation and combined for the tool development. A total of 304 children were included. Eight items were included in the tool. A higher score of the tool indicates a greater risk for obesity in childhood with the cutoff point set at 0. The tool sensitivity for obesity was 95%, specificity was 74.4%, the positive predictive value was 37.3%, and negative predictive value was 98.9%. The Risk of childhood Obesity In the Community (RisObIn.Com) tool is proposed to be a comprehensive tool to identify children at high risk for late childhood obesity at admission to primary school. Further studies are needed to assess the performance of the tool.

Highlights

The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity has increased considerably in the past decades, mostly in high-income countries but recently rising in low- and middle-income countries. in high-income countries, a recent decrease has been observed [1], prevalence remains very high [2,3]
Obesity is defined as an abnormal fat accumulation that impairs health [4] but it has been shown that obesity defined by Body Mass Index (BMI) alone is a remarkably heterogeneous condition with varying cardiovascular and metabolic manifestations across individuals, which may differ according to age and gender [5]
This study aims to develop a pre-school screening tool to assess the risk for childhood obesity based on a broad spectrum of risk factors considering peri-natal, anthropometric, sociodemographic, past eating habits, current eating habits, subjective anthropometry perception, subjective eating habits perception and physical activity, and sleeping habits, at a multivariable level

Summary

Introduction

The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity has increased considerably in the past decades, mostly in high-income countries but recently rising in low- and middle-income countries. in high-income countries, a recent decrease has been observed [1], prevalence remains very high [2,3]. Obesity is defined as an abnormal fat accumulation that impairs health [4] but it has been shown that obesity defined by Body Mass Index (BMI) alone is a remarkably heterogeneous condition with varying cardiovascular and metabolic manifestations across individuals, which may differ according to age and gender [5]. Nutrients 2020, 12, 3288 and affect psychological health and social and emotional well-being [8] This emphasizes the importance of early intervention to prevent the onset of obesity in childhood. Interventions to reduce childhood obesity show limited effectiveness, for weight-related outcomes [9]

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