Developmental coordination disorder and overweight and obesity in children aged 9-14 y

Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a significant problem that affects between 5 and 9% of all children. Since children with DCD are less likely than their non-DCD peers to participate in physical activities, they may be at greater risk for overweight and obesity. In this report, we examine the relationship between DCD and overweight and obesity in a sample of 578 children aged 9-14 y. We also examine whether the relationship between DCD and overweight/obesity is the same for boys and girls, taking into account sex and age-appropriate differences in percentage body fat and body mass index (BMI) criteria. Our results show that for boys, DCD may be a risk factor for overweight/obesity in childhood and early adolescence. For girls, there is no difference in the prevalence of overweight/obesity between children with and without the disorder.