Study Goals:
- Identify obesity risk factors related to child, parents, and family characteristics.
- Identify co-morbidity and psychosocial problems related to obesity during childhood.
- Assess performance of screening tests for obese children to identify co-morbidity
- Examine the relationship between obesity in children and the use of health services.
Working Hypotheses:
- Obesity and overweight will be associated with the child's lifestyle, and characteristics of parents, family and social environment.
- Among obese and overweight children, there will be higher rates of physical and mental health problems.
- There will be low rates of screening tests among obese children for identification of co-morbidity.
- Compared to children with normal weight, obese and overweight children will have higher rates of service utilization
Methodology:
An exploratory study among all children ages 4-11, members of Maccabi living in Efrat (some 1,150). The study will compare normal weight, overweight (85%-95% on the growth curve), and obese (95% or more on the growth curve) children. Height, weight, and girth measurements will be taken and recorded in the children's computerized medical files, which already contain data on their weight during infancy (from "Tipat Halav"). The height and weight of other family members will be taken from their medical files or during the visit. A structured telephone interview will be conducted with the mother to identify risk factors and psychosocial problems.
Information on co-morbidity and the utilization of services will be derived from Maccabi's central data base and correlated with the survey data and the data collected on BMI.
Significance:
The proposed research questions have not been studied in Israel and therefore the study will present new data on these topics, using multiple data sources. Identification of risk and environmental factors that contribute to obesity in children will help Maccabi improve primary prevention and plan effective intervention programs to be used during childhood, when it is easier to change beliefs, attitudes and behaviors.
Information on co-morbidity and the use of services will help Maccabi prepare to meet the needs of obese children. Information on screening tests for obese children will provide an indication on the quality of care and serve as a baseline for improving quality.
The study will also contribute to the theoretical knowledge about bio-psycho-social risk factors for childhood obesity in general, and in Israel, in particular. The study could also serve as a basis for future broad studies.
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