Authors
Barak Hermesh, Noga Fallach, Galia Zacay, Yoel Toledano, Sigal Sofer, Gal Sagie, Zohar Landau
Published in
Academic pediatrics. Pages 103372. Jun 28, 2026. Epub Jun 28, 2026.
Abstract
To examine the association between weight category and healthcare resource utilization (HRU) among children and adolescents in a large, nationally representative cohort.
We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study (evaluating data from 2021-2024) using electronic medical records of 238,304 Israeli children aged 6 to 18. Youth were categorized by CDC BMI percentiles. HRU (visits, hospitalizations, and medication purchases) was analyzed adjusting for socioeconomic status and population group.
Increasing weight category showed a clear, graded association with higher HRU. In children aged 6-11 years, severe obesity (Class 3) was associated with 1.5 times higher odds of hospitalization (95% CI 1.1-2.2). Adolescents (ages 12-18 years) exhibited steeper utilization trends; those with Class 3 obesity were 2.1 times (95% CI 1.5-2.9) more likely to use psychiatric medications, and chronic disease medications (e.g., for asthma and diabetes), compared to their normal-weight peers.
Pediatric obesity, evident already in elementary school, burdens healthcare immediately and worsens with severity. The higher rates of psychiatric and chronic disease medication use among adolescents with Class 3 obesity highlights a significant clinical impact in childhood, not just future risk. Urgent interventions for metabolic and psychosocial health are needed to mitigate this substantial burden.
PMID:
42365910
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 29 Jun 2026.
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