ArticlePediatrics2015
Obesity and Autism.
Article in Pediatrics, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 100 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
100 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 240 citations in OpenAlex.
- Altered leptin level in autism spectrum disorder and meta-analysis of adipokines.BMC psychiatry · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Autism Spectrum Disorder and Obesity in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Obesity facts · 2022Pooled it
- Population-Based Psychiatric Comorbidity in Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Pooled it
- Instruments to Assess Physical Activity in Primary Education Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- The Prevalence of Diabetes in Autistic Persons: A Systematic Review.Clinical practice and epidemiology in mental health : CP & EMH · 2020Pooled it
- Weight management interventions for youth with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2019Pooled it
- Association among obesity, overweight and autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2017Pooled it
- Physical activity, sedentary behavior and their correlates in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A systematic review.PloS one · 2017Pooled it
- Adiposity, Hepatic Triglyceride, and Carotid Intima Media Thickness During Behavioral Weight Loss Treatment in Antipsychotic-Treated Youth: A Randomized Pilot Study.Journal of child and adolescent psychopharmacology · 2019Trial
- Parental Perspectives on Sports Participation in Boys with Autism Spectrum Disorder Level 1 Following a Multicomponent Physical Activity Program: A Qualitative Study.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Body weight in autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.JCPP advances · 2026Article
- Novel Insights into Obesity in Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Child psychiatry and human development · 2026Article
- A Narrative Review of Cardiovascular Health in Autistic Individuals: Epidemiologic Evidence, Mechanistic Pathways, and Future Directions.Current epidemiology reports · 2026Review
- Feeding Management in Autistic Children During Early Childhood: A Scoping Review.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Novel Insights into Somatic Comorbidities in Children and Adolescents Across Psychiatric Diagnoses: An Explorative Study.Child psychiatry and human development · 2025Article
- 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.Pediatric obesity · 2025Article
- Longitudinal study on all-cause and suicide mortality among individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2025Article
- Gene Expression Profiling in the Cortex of Fabp4 Knockout Mice.Neuropsychopharmacology reports · 2025Article
- Association between dyslexia and overweight/obesity among Chinese children: findings from a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2025Article
40 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveOverweight and obesity are increasingly prevalent in the general pediatric population. Evidence suggests that children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) may be at elevated risk for unhealthy weight. We identify the prevalence of overweight and obesity in a multisite clinical sample of children with ASDs and explore concurrent associations with variables identified as risk factors for unhealthy weight in the general population.
methodsParticipants were 5053 children with confirmed diagnosis of ASD in the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network. Measured values for weight and height were used to calculate BMI percentiles; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for BMI for gender and age were used to define overweight and obesity (≥85th and ≥95th percentiles, respectively).
resultsIn children age 2 to 17 years, 33.6% were overweight and 18% were obese. Compared with a general US population sample, rates of unhealthy weight were significantly higher among children with ASDs ages 2 to 5 years and among those of non-Hispanic white origin. Multivariate analyses revealed that older age, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, lower parent education levels, and sleep and affective problems were all significant predictors of obesity.
conclusionsOur results indicate that the prevalence of unhealthy weight is significantly greater among children with ASD compared with the general population, with differences present as early as ages 2 to 5 years. Because obesity is more prevalent among older children in the general population, these findings raise the question of whether there are different trajectories of weight gain among children with ASDs, possibly beginning in early childhood.
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Registered trials
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 OpenQuestion graph.