Evidence mapPaperPMID 40102186Full record

ArticlePediatric obesity2025

Weight status of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: A cross-sectional analysis of primary care electronic medical records and linked health administrative datasets in Ontario, Canada.

Laura M Kinlin, Natasha R Saunders, Sarah Carsley, Charles Keown-Stoneman, Karen Tu, Lonnie Zwaigenbaum, Catherine S Birken

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Article in Pediatric obesity, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

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2citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Laura M KinlinDivision of Paediatric Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2084-0221
Natasha R SaundersDivision of Paediatric Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Sarah CarsleyDepartment of Health Promotion, Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, Public Health Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Charles Keown-StonemanDalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8790-1589
Karen TuInstitute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, The University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Lonnie ZwaigenbaumDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Catherine S BirkenDivision of Paediatric Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Funding

CIHR 164760CIHR 201407TB1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIndividuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be at increased risk of both obesity and underweight.

objectiveTo examine the association between ASD and weight status in children and adolescents, adjusting for individual- and neighbourhood-level sociodemographic factors.

methodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study of children and adolescents ≥2 and ≤18 years old using health administrative and demographic data from Ontario, Canada. Using growth measurements from a large primary care database between 2011 and 2016, we categorized weight status using World Health Organization definitions. We defined ASD based on a previously validated algorithm.

resultsWe included 568 children and adolescents with ASD and 32 967 without ASD. Comparing those with ASD to those without ASD, prevalence of underweight was 3.5% versus 1.9%, overweight 19.0% versus 18.2%, obesity 12.9% versus 7.3%, and severe obesity 5.8% versus 2.2%. In the fully adjusted multinomial logistic regression model, ASD remained associated with underweight (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.02; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.27-3.20), obesity (aOR 1.87; 95% CI 1.44-2.43) and severe obesity (aOR 2.62; 95% CI 1.81-3.80).

conclusionChildren and adolescents with ASD are at increased risk of underweight, obesity, and severe obesity, independent of sociodemographic characteristics. Strategies addressing growth and weight status are warranted in this population.

Indexed as

Autism Spectrum DisorderBody WeightPediatric ObesityThinnessAdolescentChildChild, PreschoolCross-Sectional StudiesElectronic Health RecordsFemaleGrowth ChartsHumansLogistic ModelsMaleOdds RatioOntarioautismobesityoverweightunderweightweight status

Identifiers

PMID40102186
PMCPMC12056540

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.