Childhood Obesity as a Risk for Development of Otitis Media

Abstract

Objective: To determine if obesity is a significant risk factor for acute suppurative otitis media (AOM), allergic rhinitis (AR), or adenoid/tonsillar hypertrophy (ATH) in children, and to understand the potential otolaryngological implications of childhood obesity.

Method: The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey was utilized to identify children diagnosed with AOM, AR, and/or ATH. Risk factors for these diagnoses extracted included demographics and the presence or absence of childhood obesity. Multivariate statistical analyses were conducted for the associations between childhood obesity and AOM, AR, and ATH.

Results: A total of 84.5 million children (mean age, 12.2 years) were studied within the 2006 and 2008 MEPS data sets. Of these patients, 4.3 million (5.1%) reported a diagnosis of AOM, 8.0 million (9.5%) reported a diagnosis of AR, and 0.31 million (0.4%) reported a diagnosis of ATH; 18.7 million children (22.2%) were obese. Utilizing a demographically adjusted multivariate model, childhood obesity was found to be associated with AOM (P = .01; odds ratio, 1.45). Significant associations between obesity and AR or ATH were not identified (P = .60 and P = .79, respectively).

Conclusion: Childhood obesity appears to be significantly associated with the development of AOM, but does not seem to influence AR or ATH. Given that in the United States nearly one-fourth of all children seeking healthcare are obese, these data may have important preventative care implications.