The Rising Tide of Overweight among Kuwaiti Children: Study from Al-Adan Hospital, Kuwait

Objective: This study was designed to screen patients who sought medical services in the Pediatric Outpatient Department, Al-Adan Hospital, Kuwait for overweight. Subjects and Methods: Body mass index (BMI) was used to screen 361 children (<= 10 years old) for risk of overweight and overweight (BMI between 85th and 94th, and >= 95th percentile, respectively). Overweight children were fully examined and abdominal ultrasound was done for each of them. Results: Of the 361 children, 52 (14.41%) and 77 (21.33%) were at risk of overweight and overweight, respectively. There was a slight male predominance for overweight (40 males, 51.95%, compared to 37 females, 48.05%) and within the overweight category; 28 males (70%) and 26 females (70.27%) were above 6 years of age. In overweight children over 6 years, 4 (7.41%) had hepatomegaly with fatty changes and 3 (5.56%) had blood pressure above the 95th percentile for age and sex. Conclusion: Childhood overweight at Al-Adan Hospital was high and increased with age. Hence childhood screening for overweight is recommended at an early age because it is an important risk factor of chronic diseases. Copyright (C) 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel