Yemele Kitio Sibelle Aurelie, Olakunle Ifeoluwa C, Tay Sandra, Tobias Joseph D, Nafiu Olubukola O
Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
Saudi J Anaesth. 2025 Jul-Sep;19(3):345-352. doi: 10.4103/sja.sja_8_25. Epub 2025 Jun 16.
Addressing childhood obesity remains a significant public health concern due to the lack of effective intervention programs and policies. While efforts are ongoing to evaluate perioperative complications related to childhood obesity, there has been limited exploration of parents' and caregivers' knowledge and attitudes toward the perioperative risks associated with their children's obesity. This prospective survey evaluated parents' beliefs and practices related to childhood obesity and determined if these influenced their knowledge of obesity-related perioperative complications.
We performed a prospective survey of parents of children aged 2-17 years scheduled for elective operations at a US quaternary academic medical center. The survey instrument was pretested. The frequency of obesity-related perceptions, beliefs, and practices were assessed, stratified by child weight status. Group comparisons were made with appropriate statistical tests.
The study included 129 parents, of whom 87 (67.4%) were married, and 102 (79.1%) were women. Most parents, regardless of perceived child weight, agreed that child overweight/obesity can cause serious illness (95%) and that they should be concerned (90%). Notably, 40% of parents failed to recognize obesity in their own children. About 40% of parents were unsure about the impact of childhood obesity on postoperative pain control, and 29% were uncertain about its effect on anesthesia risks. Additionally, 20% of parents were uncertain about the potential for serious surgical complications related to obesity, and 5% believed that being overweight or obese does not lead to significant surgical risks.
While awareness of child overweight/obesity as a modifiable health risk is high, many parents failed to recognize it in their own children and were unaware of its potential contribution to anesthesia-related complications. Additional efforts to help parents understand their role in facilitating behavior change and to assist them in identifying at-risk children as well as the perioperative implications of childhood obesity are required.
由于缺乏有效的干预计划和政策，解决儿童肥胖问题仍然是一个重大的公共卫生问题。虽然正在努力评估与儿童肥胖相关的围手术期并发症，但对于父母和照顾者对其子女肥胖相关围手术期风险的知识和态度的探索有限。这项前瞻性调查评估了父母与儿童肥胖相关的信念和行为，并确定这些是否影响了他们对肥胖相关围手术期并发症的了解。
我们对美国一家四级学术医疗中心计划进行择期手术的2至17岁儿童的父母进行了一项前瞻性调查。该调查工具进行了预测试。评估了与肥胖相关的认知、信念和行为的频率，并按儿童体重状况进行分层。使用适当的统计检验进行组间比较。
该研究包括129名父母，其中87名（67.4%）已婚，102名（79.1%）为女性。大多数父母，无论其感知到的孩子体重如何，都同意儿童超重/肥胖会导致严重疾病（95%），并且他们应该予以关注（90%）。值得注意的是，40%的父母未能识别出自己孩子的肥胖问题。约40%的父母不确定儿童肥胖对术后疼痛控制的影响，29%的父母不确定其对麻醉风险的影响。此外，20%的父母不确定与肥胖相关的严重手术并发症的可能性，5%的父母认为超重或肥胖不会导致重大手术风险。
虽然将儿童超重/肥胖视为可改变的健康风险的意识较高，但许多父母未能在自己孩子身上识别出这一问题，并且未意识到其对麻醉相关并发症的潜在影响。需要做出更多努力来帮助父母了解他们在促进行为改变中的作用，并协助他们识别有风险的儿童以及儿童肥胖的围手术期影响。
