In many developed countries, including Israel, the obesity rates have been steadily increasing in recent decades. This is of particular concern, given the abundant evidence linking obesity with numerous chronic illnesses, shorter life expectancy, reduced quality of life, and increased healthcare spending. Childhood obesity, which is also on the increase, is attracting particular attention, due to the associated morbidity, the link between obesity in childhood and obesity in adulthood, and recognition of the fact that it is easier to change habits and assume a healthy lifestyle at a young age.
The study was conducted in 2008-2009, in partnership with Maccabi Healthcare Services. It included families living in two different communities who were members of Maccabi and had children aged 4-11. The study goals were to examine risk factors for overweight and obesity associated with parental, child and family characteristics; to examine the relationship between health outcomes and obesity; and to examine the relationship between obesity in children and health-service utilization.
Some 400 mothers were interviewed and asked to complete questionnaires with items about them, their families and their children. Approximately 700 children aged 4–11 (of those mothers) were weighed and measured and their obesity status calculated accordingly. Maccabi’s computerized database was used in the analysis of associated morbidity and utilization of health services.
The main overweight/obesity issues examined in the study were:
-
Family characteristics (e.g., parents’ age, parents’ education, origin, year of immigration to Israel, parents’ weight mother’s educational approach, mother’s attitude to her children’s eating patterns)
-
Health-behaviors of the parents (e.g., diet, physical exercise, and mother’s eating patterns)
-
Characteristics of the children (e.g., eating patterns and recreational activities)
-
Associated morbidity among overweight/obese children vs. other children
-
Children’s utilization of health services
-
The recording of overweight and obesity in medical records.
A multivariate analysis was conducted to examine the link between the characteristics of the families and the children and child obesity/overweight. The study is the first in Israel to examine the association between such a large number of family-level and child-level factors and childhood obesity. The findings will help raise awareness among policymakers and service providers so they can take steps to address the problem and plan preventive programs aimed at children.
The study was funded by the Maccabi Institute for Health Services Research.
Citing suggestion: Gross, R., Ashkenazi, Y., Hemo, B., Ben-Shoham, O., Doron, D. & Nahshon, I. (2011). Childhood Obesity: Risk Factors, Associated Morbidity and Service Utilization. RR-583-11. Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute. (Hebrew)