Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2010 Nov 1;10:302. doi: 10.1186/1472-6963-10-302.
Limited access to weight management care can have a negative impact on the health and well-being of obese children and youth. Our objectives were to describe the characteristics of clients referred to a pediatric weight management centre and explore potential differences according to proximity.
All demographic and anthropometric data were abstracted from standardized, one-page referral forms, which were received by a pediatric weight management centre in Edmonton, AB (Canada) between April, 2005 and April, 2009.
Referrals (n = 555; 52% male; age [mean +/- standard deviation]: 12.4 +/- 2.6 y; BMI: 32.3 +/- 6.8 kg/m2; BMI percentile: 98.4 +/- 1.7; BMI z-score: 2.3 +/- 0.4) were received from 311 physicians. Approximately 95% of referrals were for boys and girls classified as obese or very obese. Based on postal code data, individuals were dichotomized as either living within (local; n = 455) or beyond (distant; n = 100) the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area. Numerous families resided several hundred kilometres away from our centre. Overall, distant clients were taller, weighed more, and were more overweight than their local counterparts. For distant clients, the degree of overweight was higher in youth versus children.
Pediatric weight management services must be designed to optimize access to health services, especially for distant clients who may be at increased obesity-related health risk.
肥胖儿童和青少年获得体重管理服务的机会有限，可能会对他们的健康和幸福产生负面影响。我们的目的是描述转介到儿科体重管理中心的患者的特征，并根据距离探索潜在的差异。
所有人口统计学和人体测量数据均从标准化的一页转诊表中提取，这些转诊表于 2005 年 4 月至 2009 年 4 月期间由艾伯塔省埃德蒙顿的一家儿科体重管理中心接收。
共收到 555 例转诊（52%为男性；年龄[均值 +/- 标准差]：12.4 +/- 2.6 岁；BMI：32.3 +/- 6.8 kg/m2；BMI 百分位数：98.4 +/- 1.7；BMI z 评分：2.3 +/- 0.4），来自 311 名医生。大约 95%的转诊是为男孩和女孩肥胖或非常肥胖而转介的。根据邮政编码数据，个体被分为居住在（本地；n = 455）或超出（偏远；n = 100）埃德蒙顿都会区。许多家庭距离我们的中心数百公里。总体而言，偏远地区的患者比本地患者更高、更重、超重更多。对于偏远地区的患者，与儿童相比，青少年的超重程度更高。
儿科体重管理服务必须设计为优化对卫生服务的获取，特别是对可能面临更高肥胖相关健康风险的偏远地区患者。
