Changing prevalence of overweight children and adolescents at onset of insulin-treated diabetes

OBJECTIVE-The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of being overweight in black and white children and adolescents at onset of insulin-treated diabetes during two time periods: 1979-1989 (period I) and 1990-1998 (period II). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS-All black children <19 years of age diagnosed with diabetes and treated with insulin at onset admitted to the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh between January 1979 and December 1998 were matched with white children by sex, age at onset, and year of diagnosis. Data were obtained from a review of medical records. Overweight was defined as BMI greater than or equal to85th percentile for age and sex. Islet cell autoantibodies were measured. RESULTS-The prevalence of being overweight increased from 12.6% (period I) to 36.8% (period II) (P = 0.0003); in whites from 2.9 to 16.6% (P = 0.04) and in blacks from 22 to 55% (P = 0.001); and in the age-group <11 years from 7.3 to 22.2% (P = 0.04) and age 11-18 years from 20 to 50% (P = 0.006). In children with at least one antibody, the prevalence of being overweight increased from 5.1 to 24.4% (P = 0.001). In the multivariate logistic regression, period of diagnosis (period II), race (black), age at onset (greater than or equal to11 years old), and absence of autoimmunity were associated with being overweight. CONCLUSIONS-At onset of the disease, the prevalence of being overweight has tripled from the 1980s to the 1990s, following the trend in the general population. Weight gain may be an accelerating factor for onset of insulin-treated diabetes and may have contributed to the increased incidence of diabetes in youth seen in some populations.