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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children with
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at
increased risk for being overweight, regardless of whether or
not they are currently receiving medications for the condition.
The results of prior research has suggested that the
impulsivity and poor behavioral regulation that is common in
children with ADHD may promote certain eating patterns that
increase the risk of obesity, co-authors Molly E. Waring and
Dr. Kate L. Lapane, from Brown Medical School in Providence,
Rhode Island, note.
To investigate further, the researchers analyzed data from
62,887 children and adolescents included in the 2003-2004
National Survey of Children's Health.
Children with ADHD were identified based the response of
the parent to the question: "Has a doctor or health
professional ever told you that your child has
attention-deficit disorder or attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorder, that is, ADD or ADHD?"
The prevalence of ADD or ADHD was 8.8 percent, the authors
report in the journal Pediatrics, and approximately half the
affected children were taking medication for the condition.
After accounting for demographic factors as well as
depression and anxiety, ADHD patients who were not being
treated with medication were 1.5-times more likely to be
overweight than children without the disorder. The risk for
ADHD among those who were currently receiving medications was
only about 0.5-times higher than children without ADHD.
"Future work is needed to better understand the
longitudinal and pharmacologic factors that influence the
relationship between ADD/ADHD and weight status in children and
adolescents," the investigators conclude.
SOURCE: Pediatrics, July 2008.
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