Paula Card-Higginson

Poor performance of body mass index as a marker for hypercholesterolemia in children and adolescents.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the test performance of specific body mass index (BMI) percentile cutoffs for detecting children/adolescents with hypercholesterolemia. DESIGN Cross-sectional analysis. SETTING National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2004. PARTICIPANTS Population-based sample of children (aged 3-18 years) with nonfasting total cholesterol (TC) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels and adolescents (aged 12-18 years) with fasting low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglyceride (TG) levels. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Individuals were classified as having hypercholesterolemia if they had a TC level greater than 200 mg/dL, HDL cholesterol level less than 35 mg/dL, LDL cholesterol level greater than 130 mg/dL, or TG level greater than 150 mg/dL, and sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios were calculated for specific BMI percentiles. Receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed and area under the curve (AUC) was calculated. RESULTS Receiver operating characteristic curves using BMI percentiles to predict abnormal levels of TC and LDL cholesterol had AUC values (0.60 for TC level and 0.63 for LDL cholesterol level) that were less than the threshold of acceptable discrimination (between 0.7-0.8). Body mass index percentiles provided better discrimination for detecting children with abnormal HDL cholesterol and TG levels, with AUC values approaching levels of acceptable discrimination (0.69 and 0.72, respectively), although there are no specific guidelines regarding management of children with these abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS According to the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines, abnormal levels of LDL cholesterol are used to determine which children require nutritional and pharmacologic therapy. Because BMI percentiles did not adequately identify children and adolescents with abnormal TC and LDL cholesterol levels, the new recommendations for targeted screening of obese children and adolescents may require further consideration.

Self-Reported Health Risks Linked to Health Plan Cost and Age Group

BACKGROUND Studies of private sector employee populations have shown an association between health-risk factors and healthcare costs. Few studies have been conducted on large, public sector employee populations. The objective of the current study was to quantify health plan costs associated with individual tobacco, obesity, and physical inactivity risks in Arkansass state employee plan. METHODS De-identified medical and pharmacy claim costs incurred October 1, 2004-February 28, 2006 were linked with results from self-reported health-risk assessments (HRA) completed August 1, 2006-October 31, 2006. High- and no-risk groups were defined on the basis of cigarette use, BMI, and days/week of moderate physical activity. Annualized costs were compared between groups and across ages. Data were analyzed in September 2007. RESULTS Of the eligible adults (n=77,774), 56% (n=43,461) voluntarily accessed and completed an Internet-based HRA and had claims data-linked for analyses. Average annual costs across the eligible population totaled

Arkansas' Experience: Statewide Surveillance and Parental Information on the Child Obesity Epidemic

3205. Respondents with high risks incurred greater annual costs (

Impact of Addition of Philosophical Exemptions on Childhood Immunization Rates

4432) than those with no risks (

Lessons Learned While Implementing a Legislated School Policy: Body Mass Index Assessments Among Arkansas’s Public School Students

2382). Costs were greater among those with one or more risks, compared with no risks, and increased with age. The greatest average annual cost was for people aged 55-64 years in the high-risk group, who had a 2.2-fold higher cost than those aged 55-64 years in the no-risk group (

Arkansas Fights Fat: Translating Research Into Policy To Combat Childhood And Adolescent Obesity

7233 versus

Public health "malpractice" and the obesity epidemic.

3266). CONCLUSIONS Healthcare costs increased with age and were differentially higher for those who used tobacco, were obese, or were physically inactive. The financial viability of the healthcare system is at risk, particularly in plans with a high proportion of adults with health-risk factors.