Family screening for neurodevelopmental problems and its associations with child cognitive function enable tailored treatment for childhood obesity.

Aim: To identify neurodevelopmental disorders in children with obesity, and investigate associations to cognitive functions as well as parents' self‐reported neurodevelopmental problems. Methods: Eighty children were included at two outpatient obesity clinics in Sweden 2018–2019. Of these, 50 children without previously diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorders were screened, and so were their parents. Children who screened positive for neurodevelopmental problems were referred to a specialised psychiatry unit for further diagnosis. Test results of cognitive functioning were compared with the norm and between study groups by neurodevelopmental diagnoses. Results: Of the screened families, 17/50 children were diagnosed by the psychiatric unit with attention deficit–hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 15/82 parents screened positive for neurodevelopmental problems. Having a mother who screened positive for neurodevelopmental problems was associated with child ADHD (p < 0.05). The children's full‐scale intelligence quotient (92.86 ± 12.01, p < 0.001) and working memory index (90.62 ± 12.17, p < 0.001) were lower than the norm. Working memory index was lower in children with ADHD compared to without ADHD: 84.76 ± 9.58 versus 94.09 ± 12.29 (p ≤ 0.01). Executive constraints were associated with verbal deviances. Conclusion: Increased awareness is needed about the overlap between neurodevelopmental problems and obesity in obesity clinics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]