RN's and Extreme Obesity

Extreme Obesity Considerable in Southern California Children
More than 6 percent of 2- to 19-year-olds in one health plan are extremely obese
By Jeff Muise
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- More than half a million Southern California children are estimated to be extremely obese, raising the prospect of health problems for the individuals as they age as well as an increasing public health burden, according to a study published online March 22 in the Journal of Pediatrics.

Corinna Koebnick, Ph.D., of Kaiser Permanente Southern California in Pasadena, and colleagues analyzed weight and height data on a population of 710,949 health plan members aged 2 to 19 years. The researchers determined the prevalence of extreme obesity, defined either as body mass index (BMI)-for-age ≥1.2 times 95th percentile or BMI ≥35 kg/m2.

The researchers found that 7.3 percent of boys and 5.5 percent of girls met the criteria for extreme obesity, with the highest prevalence found at 10 years of age in boys and at 12 and 18 years of age in girls. Prevalence also varied by ethnic/racial groups, with the highest prevalence in African-American girls (11.9 percent) and Hispanic boys (11.2 percent).

"These data suggest that >6 percent of boys and girls can be classified as extremely obese, translating to an estimated 560,000 children and adolescents in California. Extreme obesity occurs already at a young age, especially in boys, indicating that extreme childhood obesity is a serious issue for pediatric care," the authors write.

The research was supported by Kaiser Permanente Direct Community Benefit Funds.

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