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Obesity in young children and its relationship with diagnosis of asthma, vitamin D deficiency, iron deficiency, specific allergies and flat-footedness : A systematic review and meta-analysis
Malden, Stephen Gillespie, Jenny Hughes, Adrienne Gibson, Ann-Marie Farooq, Abdulaziz Martin, Anne Summerbell, Carolyn Reilly, John J.
Malden, Stephen
Gillespie, Jenny
Hughes, Adrienne
Gibson, Ann-Marie
Farooq, Abdulaziz
Martin, Anne
Summerbell, Carolyn
Reilly, John J.
Abstract
There is evidence that a number of medical conditions and co-morbidities are associated with obesity in young children. This review explored whether there is evidence of associations with other conditions or co-morbidities. Observational studies of young children (mean age < 10 years) were identified using electronic searches of five databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, AMED and SPORTDiscus). Of 27 028 studies screened, 41 (comprising 44 comparisons) met the inclusion criteria. These studies provided data on five distinct diseases/conditions: asthma (n = 16), vitamin D deficiency (n = 10), iron deficiency (n = 10), allergies (n = 4) and flat-footedness (n = 4). Thirty-two studies were appropriate for meta-analysis using random-effects models, and revealed obesity was significantly associated with having asthma (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.3–1.7), vitamin D deficiency (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.4–2.5) and iron deficiency (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.4–3.2). Heterogeneity (I2) ranged from 57% to 61%. Narrative synthesis was conducted for all studies. There was no evidence of a consistent association between obesity in young children and eczema, dermatitis or rhinitis due to the low number of studies. However, there was an association with flat-footedness. These results have implications for health policy and practice and families. Further research leading to a greater understanding of the associations identified in this review is suggested.
Keywords
associations, childhood obesity, co-morbidities, meta-analysis
Date
2021
Type
Journal article
Journal
Obesity Reviews
Book
Volume
22
Issue
3
Page Range
1-21
Article Number
Article e13129
ACU Department
School of Behavioural and Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
Published as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
License
CC BY 4.0
File Access
Open