Abstract
BackgroundLimited access to weight management care can have a negative impact on the health and well-being of obese children and youth. Our objectives were to describe the characteristics of clients referred to a pediatric weight management centre and explore potential differences according to proximity.MethodsAll demographic and anthropometric data were abstracted from standardized, one-page referral forms, which were received by a pediatric weight management centre in Edmonton, AB (Canada) between April, 2005 and April, 2009.ResultsReferrals (n = 555; 52% male; age [mean +/- standard deviation]: 12.4 +/- 2.6 y; BMI: 32.3 +/- 6.8 kg/m2; BMI percentile: 98.4 +/- 1.7; BMI z-score: 2.3 +/- 0.4) were received from 311 physicians. Approximately 95% of referrals were for boys and girls classified as obese or very obese. Based on postal code data, individuals were dichotomized as either living within (local; n = 455) or beyond (distant; n = 100) the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area. Numerous families resided several hundred kilometres away from our centre. Overall, distant clients were taller, weighed more, and were more overweight than their local counterparts. For distant clients, the degree of overweight was higher in youth versus children.ConclusionPediatric weight management services must be designed to optimize access to health services, especially for distant clients who may be at increased obesity-related health risk.
Highlights
Limited access to weight management care can have a negative impact on the health and well-being of obese children and youth
A relatively even distribution of referrals was received for boys (n = 286; 52%) and girls (n = 269; 48%) with boys having a higher body mass index (BMI) percentile and BMI z-score compared to girls
The distribution of clients according to BMI percentile categories was as follows: (a) ≥85th to
Summary
Limited access to weight management care can have a negative impact on the health and well-being of obese children and youth. Children living in rural settings are at increased risk of obesity compared to their urban peers [1,2]. This dichotomy is relevant for clients seeking weight management care since specialty clinics tend to be based in metropolitan areas. Rural families often have fewer local resources to help them manage health risks that tend to accompany obesity [5]. Despite known inequities in health care access across urban and rural areas, there has been little investigation of how best to align health services delivery for clients based on their geographic proximity to health care
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