Body mass index of children from the United Kingdom diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorders

• Published in: Pediatrics international Vol. 46; no. 5; pp. 531 - 533
• Main Authors: Whiteley, Paul, Dodou, Kalliopi, Todd, Lynda, Shattock, Paul
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science, Ltd 01.10.2004
• Subjects: Body Height - physiology; Body Mass Index; body mass index (BMI); Body Weight - physiology; Child; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive - pathology; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive - physiopathology; Child, Preschool; height; Humans; Infant; Male; pervasive developmental disorder (PDD); Pilot Projects; United Kingdom; weight
• ISSN: 1328-8067; 1442-200X
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1442-200x.2004.01946.x

Background : The aim of the present study was to ascertain the Body Mass Index (BMI) (kg m–2) derived from parental reports of height (metres) and weight (kilograms) of a pilot sample of boys born and resident in the UK diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). Method : Analysis of parental reporting of height and weight measurements in boys (n = 50) diagnosed with PDD and comparison with age and sex‐matched reference populations. Results : The majority of patients were above the 50th percentile for height (70%), weight (74%) and BMI (80%) with 21% exceeding cut‐off points for overweight and 10% for clinical obesity. There were no significant differences (P < 0.05) found between PDD subgroups for any of the measures. Conclusion : Further studies are required to validate findings of skewed height, weight and BMI data in PDD.