I found this article on the Advisory Board Web site and found the statistics very startling. Unfortunately, I cannot link you to the full article, but the highlights are below. Please feel free to leave me a comment if you have any questions about medically supervised weight loss for your and your family.
The number of hospitalizations among children between the ages of 2 and 19 with a primary or secondary diagnosis of obesity nearly doubled from 21,743 in 1999 to 42,429 in 2005, even though obesity prevalence held relatively steady across that timeframe, according to a study published on the Health Affairs website.
...Moreover, the data showed a statistically significant increase in the number of obesity-related hospitalizations for a number of conditions, among them asthma, diabetes, pneumonia, appendicitis, and skin and subcutaneous tissue infections. Examining the economic consequence of childhood obesity, the researchers found that total costs for children with obesity-related hospitalizations rose to $237.6 million in 2005—up from $125.9 million in 2001, measured in 2005 dollars.
...Commenting on their findings, the researchers advise interpreting the results “with caution,” given that the analysis relied on physician and provider diagnoses of obesity—which are “a product of clinical judgment and reimbursement by hospital payers and [are] subject to inaccuracy”—rather than a fixed definition of obesity.
In addition, they speculate that some of the increase in the number of hospitalizations involving a childhood obesity diagnosis could stem from increased recognition of the condition, rather than acceleration in obesity’s contribution to other medical conditions. Regardless, the authors write, the study “suggests that obesity has a much more immediate impact on the health of children, especially adolescents, than previously understood.” Saying that the findings reinforce the importance of obesity prevention efforts, the researchers call for additional federal support of anti-obesity programs to reduce the condition and its social and economic costs.
The number of hospitalizations among children between the ages of 2 and 19 with a primary or secondary diagnosis of obesity nearly doubled from 21,743 in 1999 to 42,429 in 2005, even though obesity prevalence held relatively steady across that timeframe, according to a study published on the Health Affairs website.
...Moreover, the data showed a statistically significant increase in the number of obesity-related hospitalizations for a number of conditions, among them asthma, diabetes, pneumonia, appendicitis, and skin and subcutaneous tissue infections. Examining the economic consequence of childhood obesity, the researchers found that total costs for children with obesity-related hospitalizations rose to $237.6 million in 2005—up from $125.9 million in 2001, measured in 2005 dollars.
...Commenting on their findings, the researchers advise interpreting the results “with caution,” given that the analysis relied on physician and provider diagnoses of obesity—which are “a product of clinical judgment and reimbursement by hospital payers and [are] subject to inaccuracy”—rather than a fixed definition of obesity.
In addition, they speculate that some of the increase in the number of hospitalizations involving a childhood obesity diagnosis could stem from increased recognition of the condition, rather than acceleration in obesity’s contribution to other medical conditions. Regardless, the authors write, the study “suggests that obesity has a much more immediate impact on the health of children, especially adolescents, than previously understood.” Saying that the findings reinforce the importance of obesity prevention efforts, the researchers call for additional federal support of anti-obesity programs to reduce the condition and its social and economic costs.
Powered by Compendium Blogware
Comments for News article: Childhood obesity-related hospitalizations almost doubled, study says