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Comparative Study
. 2016 Mar;91(3):352-61.
doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2015.09.017. Epub 2016 Feb 4.

Childhood Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Sex, and Obesity: A Longitudinal Population-Based Study

Roxana L Aguirre Castaneda  1 , Seema Kumar  2 , Robert G Voigt  3 , Cynthia L Leibson  4 , William J Barbaresi  5 , Amy L Weaver  6 , Jill M Killian  6 , Slavica K Katusic  4
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Childhood Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Sex, and Obesity: A Longitudinal Population-Based Study

Roxana L Aguirre Castaneda et al. Mayo Clin Proc. 2016 Mar.

Abstract

Objective: To assess obesity rates during childhood and young adulthood in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and age- and sex-matched controls derived from a population-based birth cohort because cross-sectional studies suggest an association between ADHD and obesity.

Patients and methods: Study subjects included patients with childhood ADHD (n=336) and age- and sex-matched non-ADHD controls (n=665) from a 1976 to 1982 birth cohort (N=5718). Height, weight, and stimulant treatment measurements were abstracted retrospectively from medical records documenting care provided from January 1, 1976, through August 31, 2010. The association between ADHD and obesity in patients with ADHD relative to controls was estimated using Cox models.

Results: Patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder were 1.23 (95% CI, 1.00-1.50; P<.05) times more likely to be obese during the follow-up period than were non-ADHD controls. This association was not statistically significant in either sex (female participants: hazard ratio [HR], 1.49; 95% CI, 0.98-2.27; P=.06; male participants HR, 1.17, 95% CI, 0.92-1.48; P=.20). Patients with ADHD who were not obese as of the date ADHD research diagnostic criteria were met were 1.56 (95% CI, 1.14-2.13; P<.01) times more likely to be obese during the subsequent follow-up than were controls. This association was statistically significant in female study subjects (HR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.13-3.60; P=.02), but not in male participants (HR, 1.41; 95% CI, 0.97-2.05; P=.07). A higher proportion of patients with ADHD were obese after the age of 20 years compared with non-ADHD controls (34.4% vs 25.1%; P=.01); this difference was observed only in female patients (41.6% vs 19.2%). There were no differences in obesity rates between stimulant-treated and nontreated patients with ADHD.

Conclusion: Childhood ADHD is associated with obesity during childhood and young adulthood in females. Treatment with stimulant medications is not associated with the development of obesity up to young adulthood.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cumulative Incidence of Meeting the BMI Criteria for Obesity Following the Index Date, Separately for Females (1a) and Males (1b).
Figure 1
Figure 1
Cumulative Incidence of Meeting the BMI Criteria for Obesity Following the Index Date, Separately for Females (1a) and Males (1b).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Summary of last BMI Between 20 and 34 Years of Age.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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