Aishwarya Vaidya
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Written By: Aishwarya Vaidya | Updated : October 20, 2018 12:12 PM IST
The link between autism and obesity decoded. © Shutterstock
According to a study, children with developmental delays, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), are up to 50 per cent more likely to be overweight or obese in comparison with the general population. So, parents beware! This study can be alarming and you will have to take appropriate steps right away!
Reportedly, findings published online in The Journal of Pediatrics revealed that among children with ASD, the ones with a higher degree of impairment and more severe symptoms were at even higher risk of getting obese by the age of five.
Reportedly, according to the study's lead author Susan Levy from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, US, as per these findings, monitoring these children for excess weight gain at an early age is the need of the hour, and that prevention measures should be expanded to include not just children with ASD, but also ones with developmental diagnoses too.
Nearly 2,500 children between the ages of two and five years old were included in the study. This age group is more relevant, since it is an vital window for early obesity prevention.
Reportedly, the research showed that children with ASD were 1.57 times more likely to be overweight or obese than compared to the general population. Children with developmental delays were 1.38 times more likely to be obese. The risk for obesity was more pronounced in children with severe ASD symptoms, as they were 1.7 times more likely to be overweight or obese than children with mild ASD symptoms.
