Associations Between Family Member BMI and Obesity Status of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether there is an association between parent and sibling obesity status and obesity status in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

METHODS

We examined predictors of obesity in children with ASD with body mass index data for the proband, 1 sibling, and 2 parents using data from the multisite Simons Simplex Collection.

RESULTS

In a stepwise logistic regression model, proband obesity status was associated with obesity status of the sibling (odds ratio [OR] 2.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.92-3.70), mother (OR 2.10; 95% CI, 1.59-2.77), and father (OR 1.51; 95% CI, 1.15-1.98). Proband obesity was also related to somatic complaints (OR 1.60; 95% CI, 1.006-2.53), mood stabilizers (OR 1.80; 95% CI, 1.19-2.72), internalizing problems (OR 1.60; 95% CI, 1.14-2.30), age (OR 1.01; 95% CI, 1.00-1.01), and some adaptive functioning domains (OR 0.987; 95% CI, 0.977-0.997). Race, ethnicity, income, sex, and maternal education were not significant predictors.

CONCLUSIONS

Familial factors were generally the strongest predictors of obesity rather than medication use, demographics, or psychological characteristics. Results support a family-centered approach to treatment of obesity in children with ASD.