# Clinical symptoms and epidemiological survey of early-onset severe obesity among children and adolescents

## TL;DR

This study examines the clinical symptoms and risk factors for early-onset severe obesity in children and adolescents in China.

## Contribution

The study identifies specific sociodemographic and behavioral factors linked to early-onset severe obesity in a Chinese population.

## Key findings

- Early-onset severe obesity is more common in adolescents over 14 years old, females, and those from lower-income families.
- Parental obesity and lower parental education levels are significant predictors of severe obesity in children.
- Eating habits, outdoor activity, and sleep duration are associated with the risk of severe obesity.

## Abstract

To investigate the clinical symptoms and conduct an epidemiological survey of early-onset severe obesity among children and adolescents in Qinhuangdao City of China from 2022 to 2023.

This was a retrospective study two-hundred and fifty children and adolescents diagnosed with early-onset severe obesity from August 2022 to August 2023 at Maternity & Child Care Center of Qinhuangdao were selected as subjects; additionally, two-hundred and fifty cases of healthy children and adolescents undergoing routine medical examinations in the same period were selected as the non-obese group in a 1:1 ratio. Logistic regression analysis was employed to identify factors associated with the occurrence of early-onset severe obesity among children and adolescents.

Predominantly, early-onset severe obesity was observed in individuals aged over 14 years, females, those from families with a monthly income per capita of 5000 RMB, and children of obese parents or parents with lower educational levels. The binary logistic regression model identified several significant predictors of severe obesity, including parental obesity, maternal education level (junior high school and above), paternal education level (junior high school and above), non-picky eating habits, eating speed (faster), eating habits, daily outdoor activity duration (>1 hour), and average daily sleep duration (>8 hours) (p<0.05).

Parental obesity, maternal education level (junior high school and above), paternal education level (junior high school and above), eating habits, daily outdoor activity duration (>1 hour), and average daily sleep duration (>8 hours) may be significant factors influencing the occurrence of severe obesity in children and adolescents.