A Ten-Year Review of Childhood Obesity in a Teaching Hospital, South West Nigeria

Background: Obesity is an important cosmopolitan cause of morbidity in children and adolescence age groups. Information on obesity in this age group in Nigeria is scant. Aim: To determine the prevalence of obesity and the associated morbidities seen at the Paediatric Endocrinology clinic of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, South West, Nigeria. Methods: A retrospective review of all obese children attending the Paediatric Endocrinology clinic. Sociodemographic and other information related to paediatric obesity and associated morbidities were extracted from the case notes. Data obtained was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Results: A total of 21 obese children attended the clinic in the 10 years of study. The 21 children were made of 14 (66.7%) girls and 7 (33.3%) boys, giving a 2:1 female to male ratio. The ages of the children ranged from 1 to 16 years with a mean age of 8.79 +/- 4.35 years. Obesity was secondary to a nutritional cause in 16 (76.2%) of the cases and Type 1 diabetes mellitus, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, Cushing's syndrome, Iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome and post-meningitis in the remaining 1 (4.8%) case each. Seventeen (81%) of the children were from the higher socioeconomic class, and the remaining three (19.0%) from lower socioeconomic class. Four (19.0%) of the children had hypertension with their blood pressure (BP) above the 95th percentile for age and sex. Hypertension was more common among the higher socioeconomic group, children older than 10 years and the female gender. This association was not statistically significant. A greater proportion of children with body mass index (BMI) > 30 had significantly higher rates of hypertension (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Obesity is a common disease condition amongst children attending paediatric endocrine clinic. Strategies to control obesity and progression of severity of obesity may have a place in reducing the prevalence of hypertension in obese children and adolescents.