Researchers at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond studied 299 children, ages 2 to 18 scheduled to undergo adenotonsillectomy for treatment of sleep-disordered breathing. The control group consisted of children from a primary care pediatric clinic for well-child visits on randomly selected dates.

The study, published in the journal Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery, found 46 percent of children scheduled for surgery for sleep-disordered breathing were overweight, compared with 33 percent in the control group. The study also found African-American children who have sleep-disordered breathing were more likely to be obese.

"The need to promote awareness of the association between sleep-disordered breathing and obesity, particularly in African-American children and adolescents, among educators, caregivers, primary care providers and the general public cannot be overemphasized," lead author Dr. Emily F. Rudnick.