Facebook like social media may help fight childhood obesity

Social media may be an effective way to help children overcome obesity — Parental involvement and online interaction with counselors and peers led to greater success for overweight and obese children and teens in some studies – Social media like Facebook may be an effective tool to help children overcome obesity, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published in the journal Circulation.

Physical activity interventions for children have little impact

Physical activity interventions for children have ‘little impact’ — Are interventions to promote physical activity in children a waste of time? – Physical activity interventions for children have small impact on overall activity levels and consequently the body fat and mass of children. Previous studies have shown that greater activity levels are associated with lower levels of BMI (body mass index) but that physical activity interventions have been unsuccessful in improving children’s BMI.

Obesity may lead to impaired brain function

Obesity and metabolic syndrome associated with impaired brain function in adolescents – Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with cognitive and brain impairments in adolescents and calls for pediatricians to take this into account when considering the early treatment of childhood obesity. As childhood obesity has increased in the U.S., so has the prevalence of metabolic syndrome ? a constellation of three or more of five defined health problems, including abdominal obesity, low HDL (good cholesterol), high triglycerides, high blood pressure and pre-diabetic insulin resistance.

Obese youth face higher risk of gallstones

Kaiser Permanente study finds obese youth have significantly higher risk of gallstones — Girls and Hispanic youth at higher risk of disease usually seen in adults – Children who are overweight or obese face an increased risk for gallstones, revealed by Kaiser Permanente researchers. Children and adolescents who were overweight were twice as likely to have gallstone disease, compared to children and adolescents who had a normal body mass index.

High blood pressure risk rising in US kids

More hospitalizations, higher charges, for kids with high blood pressure – Hospitalizations for children with high blood pressure and related charges dramatically increased during 10 years ending in 2006, according to a study published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension. This nationally-based study is the first in which researchers examined hypertension hospitalizations in children.

Evaluating impact of EHR on childhood obesity

First large study to evaluate impact of EHR on childhood obesity evaluation — Computer-assisted tools alert pediatricians to obese patients – Electronic health records and embedded tools can alert and direct pediatricians so they can better manage the weight of children and teenagers. Researchers analyzed visits for nearly 740,000 children and adolescents ages 2 to 17 to evaluate the impact of computer-assisted decision tools.

Mother toddler relationship quality linked to teen obesity

Mother toddler relationship quality linked to teen obesity

Study links quality of mother-toddler relationship to teen obesity – Obesity linked to poor mother-toddler bond – The quality of the emotional relationship between a mother and her young child could affect the potential for that child to be obese during adolescence, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed national data detailing relationship characteristics between mothers and their children during their toddler years. The lower the quality of the relationship in terms of the child’s emotional security and the mother’s sensitivity, the higher the risk that a child would be obese at age 15 years, according to the analysis.

Exercise helps to eat a healthy diet and nutrition

Exercise helps us to eat a healthy diet – A healthy diet and the right amount of exercise are key players in treating and preventing obesity but we still know little about the relationship both factors have with each other. A new study now reveals that an increase in physical activity is linked to an improvement in diet quality.

Health Newstrack