A study on health and the association between overweight/obesity and otorhinolaryngological diseases in 6- to 17-year-old children from Wroclaw, Poland

INTRODUCTION: Childhood overweight and obesity have become a global problem in the past three decades. There are very few studies which examine the correlation between body mass index (BMI) and the development of otorhinolaryngological diseases in children. The objective of the study was to determine the association between overweight or obesity in children and the occurrence of otorhinolaryngological diseases. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The survey study was based on a parent-reported multidisciplinary questionnaire on children’s medical status among elementary and junior high school children in the city of Wroclaw, the capital city of Poland’s Lower Silesia region. The children were taking part in the pro-health campaign “Let’s Get the Kids Moving”. RESULTS: The study was conducted among 2,913 children. A statistically significant correlation was observed between the assessment of the children’s BMI and the occurrence of adenoid hypertrophy. Adenoid hypertrophy was more common in the overweight and obese children. The children with adenoid hypertrophy had higher BMI than the children without adenoid hypertrophy. There was a statistically significant correlation between BMI and the incidence of adenoidectomy. There was a statistically significant correlation between BMI and the incidence of tonsillectomy. CONCLUSIONS: The development and introduction of preventive programs like “Let’s Get the Kids Moving” in the future will contribute to building a healthier society. The study findings suggest that primal prevention may lead to a decrease in the development of otorhinolaryngological diseases. We also showed that higher body mass correlates with higher prevalence of otorhinolaryngological diseases. Further studies are needed to establish the etiopathology of this association.