Childhood Obesity and Nutrition

Biography

Biography: Elisabet Wentz

Abstract

• Statement of the problem: Eating disorders are overrepresented in adults with obesity, but little is known about children with obesity. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is more prevalent in children with obesity. Impulsive and disorganized behavior, typically for ADHD, may contribute to an eating pattern that initiates weight gain, and complicates the conventional treatment of obesity. No studies on individuals with obesity have investigated the occurrence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Little is known about the overlap between eating and neurodevelopmental disorders in children with obesity. The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of eating disorders, ADHD, ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders in children and adolescents with obesity, and to explore a possible overlap between eating and neurodevelopmental disorders. Methodology: Seventy-six children (37 girls, 39 boys) were recruited at referral to a university outpatient clinic. The parents were interviewed regarding the child’s psychiatric morbidity and completed parental questionnaires pertaining to ADHD, ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders. The parents were screened for adult ADHD. The probands completed instruments pertaining to eating disorders. Anthropometric and metabolic data were collected. Findings: Body mass index ranged between SDS 1.92 and 5.90, and age between 5.1 and 16.5 years. ASD or ADHD was diagnosed in 13.2 % and 18.4 % of the children, respectively. Twenty-five per cent were screen-positive for motor problems, 31.6 % had at least one neurodevelopmental disorder. 18.4 % had a parent who screened positive for adult ADHD. DSM-5 eating disorders were rare but so-called “loss-of-control eating (LOC)” was present in 22 % of the adolescents. One in three with LOC had also a neurodevelopmental disorder. Conclusions & Significance: ASD and ADHD are overrepresented in clinical populations of children and adolescents with obesity. ADHD and LOC both reflect how impulsive traits can manifest in obese children.