Monitoring of Excess Body Weight in Children in the Emergency Department of a Tertiary Pediatric Hospital in Bucharest, Romania.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Excess body weight in children has become a public health issue in most countries. The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children over two years of age who presented at the Emergency Department of a tertiary pediatric hospital in Bucharest, Romania. Methods: Between July and August 2018, we conducted a prospective study among children who presented at the Emergency Department of "Alessandrescu-Rusescu" National Institute for Mother and Child Health, Bucharest, Romania. We collected data on weight, height and blood pressure classified by age and gender. Results: A total of 335 children aged 2 to 18 years were included in our study. A quarter of them had above normal body mass index values, 7.5% were overweight and 18.5% obese. Also, when measuring blood pressure, we observed increased values in 29.3% (n=98) of them. Among children with excess body weight, nearly a half (49.4%, n=47) had higher than normal blood pressure values. Conclusions: Excess body weight in children has become a public health issue in most countries. The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children over two years of age who presented at the Emergency Department of a tertiary pediatric hospital in Bucharest, Romania.