Abstract
BackgroundAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is often comorbid with psychiatric and developmental disorders. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of obesity and overweight among Chinese children with ADHD, and to explore which subtypes of the disorder may specifically be associated with obesity/overweight.MethodsChildren meeting the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD were enrolled in the study. Weight, weight z-score, height, height z-score, BMI, and BMI z-score were used to evaluate growth status. Obesity and overweight were determined using the National Growth Reference for Chinese Children and Adolescents. Relations between the prevalence of obesity/overweight and different ADHD subtypes and pubertal development were analyzed.ResultsA total of 158 children with ADHD (mean age: 9.2 years) were recruited for the study. The prevalences of obesity, overweight, and combined obesity/overweight were 12.0%, 17.1%, and 29.1%, respectively, which were significantly higher than in the general Chinese population (2.1%, 4.5%, and 6.6%, respectively). Multivariable analysis showed that the children with the combined subtype of ADHD and the onset of puberty were at a higher risk of becoming obese or overweight.ConclusionsThe prevalence of obesity in Chinese children with ADHD is higher than that of the general population. Children with the ADHD combined subtype who were at the onset of puberty were more likely to be overweight or obese.
Highlights
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is often comorbid with psychiatric and developmental disorders
There were 162 children diagnosed with ADHD between March 1, 2010 and August 31, 2010
In the present study, we found that the prevalence of obesity/overweight in Chinese children in Zhejiang Province with ADHD is 29.1%, which is higher than the figure of 6.6% found in the national survey of the normal population in 2002 [28]
Summary
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is often comorbid with psychiatric and developmental disorders. The prevalence of ADHD in obese subjects is higher than that of the normal population. In 2002, Altfas [16] showed that 27.4% of obese adults were diagnosed with ADHD, which was higher than the prevalence in general adult subjects. Holtkamp et al [17] found that the mean BMI standard deviation scores of children diagnosed with ADHD were significantly higher than the reference values of the normal German population. In 2007, Lam and Yang [18] reported that subjects with high scores of ADHD tendency (but not diagnosed with ADHD) had an increased risk for obesity of 1.4 times that of subjects with low ADHD tendency in the Chinese adolescent population. In a large sample survey in the United States of America, Waring and Lapane [19] reported that children with ADHD were much heavier than those without ADHD
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