Overweight among young children in the Philadelphia health care centers: incidence and prevalence.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence and incidence of overweight among low-income, inner-city children aged 3 to 7 years and to determine predictors of changes in body mass index (BMI) (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) percentile. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using administrative and medical records. SETTING: The Philadelphia Health Care Centers, 1996 through 2003. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred eighty-six patients who had at least 2 well-child visits between the ages of 3 and 7 years, had at least 1 visit between September 2001 and 2003, and were between the ages of 5 and 7 years at the most recent visit. Mean follow-up time was 2.4 years. MAIN EXPOSURES: Age, sex, race/ethnicity, and BMI percentile at baseline. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence and incidence of overweight and at risk of overweight and change in BMI percentile. RESULTS: Prevalence of overweight at the initial visit was 18%, with 16% at risk of overweight. At the last visit, the prevalence of overweight was 19%, with 15% at risk of overweight. Based on maximum BMI percentile, 29% were overweight at some point and an additional 19% were at risk of overweight at least once. Annualized incidence of overweight among those not overweight at baseline was 5% per year: 2% per year for normal-weight children and 14% per year for children in the at-risk category. The outcomes were not associated with sex, race/ethnicity, or age at first or last visit. Incident overweight was positively associated with BMI percentile at baseline. CONCLUSION: The early onset and frequent persistence of overweight demonstrated herein underline the need to prevent overweight among very young children.

Breastfeeding in an inner-city patient population.

In order to determine the proportion of infants seen in safety-net health clinics whose mothers initiated and sustained breastfeeding and to assess predictors of breastfeeding in this largely minority patient population, charts were reviewed for infants treated in the eight Philadelphia Health Centers. Breastfeeding was initiated by 42%; 7.5% breastfed for 180 or more days. Race/ethnicity, mother's age, birth weight, and prematurity were not associated with breastfeeding initiation or maintenance. There were differences in initiation rates between patients born in different hospitals, and between patients seen in different health centers. Hospital and health center differences in breastfeeding initiation and health center differences in breastfeeding maintenance may reflect practice variations and unmeasured differences in patient populations. While breastfeeding rates in this population remain far below targets, the substantial proportion of mothers who did breastfeed and large variations between facilities demonstrate that breastfeeding is possible and can be successfully promoted among economically disadvantaged mothers.