The Immediate Burden: Childhood Obesity is Associated With Increased Overall Healthcare Use: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the association between weight category and healthcare resource utilization (HRU) among children and adolescents in a large, nationally representative cohort.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study (evaluating data from 2021 to 2024) using electronic medical records of 238,304 Israeli children aged 6-18. Youth were categorized by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention body mass index (BMI) percentiles. HRU (visits, hospitalizations, and medication purchases) was analyzed adjusting for socioeconomic status and population group.

RESULTS

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.

CONCLUSIONS

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.