Childhood obesity: Teens and risky behavior

A new study in the journal Pediatrics says high school students with extreme obesity engage in high-risk behaviors at rates comparable with healthy weight peers, sometimes in even more dangerous ways.

Researchers used the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to compare HSS with extreme obesity and healthy weight peers  in their use of tobacco, alcohol/drug use, high-risk sexual behaviors, and suicidal behaviors.

(Logistic regression was used to calculate gender-stratified odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), controlling for age and race.)

Of the students surveyed,  410 were extremely obese - defined as having a BMI in the 99th percentile; and 8,669 were considered healthy weight - with BMIs between the fifth and 84th percentiles.

Teens with extreme obesity were similar to healthy weight peers in the prevalence of most behaviors related to alcohol/drug use, high-risk sexual activities, and suicide.

But there were exceptions, both male and female students with extreme obesity more frequently reported trying cigarettes (female students, adjusted OR: 2.0 [95% CI: 1.3–3.2]; male students, OR: 1.5 [CI: 1.2–2.0]).

Compared with healthy weight female students, female students with extreme obesity had lower odds of ever having sex (OR: 0.5 [CI: 0.3–0.9]), but greater odds of drinking alcohol/using drugs before their last sexual encounter (OR: 4.6 [CI: 1.2–17.6]), currently smoking (OR: 2.3 [CI: 1.2–4.4]), and using smokeless tobacco (OR: 4.6 [CI: 1.2–17.2]).

Compared with healthy weight male students, male students with extreme obesity had greater odds of smoking before age 13 (OR: 1.4 [CI: 1.0–2.0]).

Here in the U.S. the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says childhood obesity affects approximately 12.5 million children and teens.
Obese children are more likely to have risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and Type 2 diabetes, than are other children and adolescents.

In Rhode Island, health officials say one in five children start kindergarten being overweight.  Less than half (42 percent) of youths in those grades are meeting current physical activity recommendations. Less than one in five (19 percent) of youths eat fruits and vegetables five or more times per day.

Additional Resources:
BMI Calculator

Care New England - Rhode Island - Childhood Obesity
Rhode Island Kids Count
Thrive Rhode Island

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