Addition of parent BMI increases prediction of eligibility for bariatric surgery
Eligibility for bariatric surgery in adulthood may be predicted using a combination of a child’s and parent’s BMI at baseline assessment, according to recent study findings published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
According to the researchers, the findings highlight the importance of including parental BMI when evaluating childhood obesity.
Markus Juonala, MD, PhD, of Turku University Hospital in Finland, and colleagues evaluated data from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study on 2,647 participants aged 3 to 18 years in 1980 with a follow-up assessment 21 to 31 years later to determine the value in using parent–child dyad’s adiposity status to predict later eligibility for bariatric surgery.
A BMI greater than 40 kg/m2 or BMI greater than 35 kg/m2 with one or more metabolic complications, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension or dyslipidemia, defined eligibility for bariatric surgery.
Prediction of eligibility for bariatric surgery in adulthood was improved with the addition of parents’ BMI compared with just the child’s BMI, age and sex (P = .003). There was a 2.4 times higher prevalence for eligibility for bariatric surgery in adulthood among children with obesity who had a parent with obesity compared with children with obesity whose parents were not obese (P = .006).
If both the parent and child had obesity at more than one childhood assessment, there was a 30.9% absolute risk for eligibility for bariatric surgery; the absolute risk was reduced to 15.2% if they were obese only once and to 2.1% when they were never obese (P < .05).
“Our data from the longitudinal Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study shows that information on parental BMI in the assessment of childhood obesity improves the prediction of whether that child may become eligible for bariatric surgery in adult life,” the researchers wrote. “Parent–child dyads with obesity evident in both generations at two time points were linked to more than a 30% absolute risk of the children developing later severe obesity. Therefore, these data suggest that family-based evaluations in childhood obesity are critical in recognizing those children most at risk of long-term weight-related health problems.” – by Amber Cox