An analytical retrospective study to determine the prevalence of childhood obesity and assess the effectiveness of current surveillance

BACKGROUND: The childhood obesity epidemic is a public health crisis. Most surveillance occurs in primary care, yet there is limited guidance for the detection and management of childhood obesity. AIMS AND METHODOLOGY: We sought to establish the overweight and obesity prevalence in children aged 4–11 years old in a single primary care centre. Furthermore, we assessed whether appropriate weight management referrals were considered and determined the average duration since children last had their height and weight measured. FINDINGS: We detected overweight or obesity status in 29.0% of our cohort, and only one-third (31.1%) of eligible children had evidence that appropriate weight management referral was considered. The average duration since last height and weight measurement was 20.3 months. DISCUSSION: Childhood obesity requires an effective and inclusive solution, and in this report, we explore whether increased surveillance is necessary and how we might achieve this.