These children vary in their proportion of body fat.Childhood obesity is a medical condition that affects children. It is characterized by a weight well above the mean for their height and age and a body mass index well above the norm.
Majority of U.S. hospitals do not fully support breastfeeding — New CDC report shows missed opportunities for preventing childhood obesity beginning at birth – Breastfeeding protects against childhood obesity, yet less than 4 percent of U.S. hospitals provide the full range of support mothers need to be able to breastfeed, according to the most recent Vital Signs report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Eating location increasingly important factor in diet of American children, according to new study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association – As childhood obesity rises and the American diet shifts towards increasing consumption of foods eaten or prepared outside of the home, concerns about the nutritional quality and the total consumption of such foods are also increasing.
Policies that promote healthy eating, activity and sleep are needed to curb obesity in infants, toddlers and preschoolers – Limiting television and other media use, encouraging infants and young children in preschool and child care to spend more time in physically active play, and requiring child care providers to promote healthy sleeping practices are some of the actions needed to curb high rates of obesity among America’s youngest children.
In the battle against childhood obesity, review effectiveness before implementing policies – Before developing specific anti-obesity strategies, lawmakers and advocates should review the evidence on program effectiveness and costs in order to avoid policies that either won’t work or will waste money.
Fast food menus with calorie information lead to lower calorie selections for young children — Few areas currently mandate nutritional information on chain restaurant menus. – In a new study, the amount of calories selected by parents for their child’s hypothetical meal at McDonald’s restaurants were reduced by an average of 102 calories when the menus clearly showed the calories for each item.
Health experts offer action steps local governments can use to cut childhood obesity rates – Local governments play a crucial role in the fight against childhood obesity by creating environments that make it either easy or hard for children to eat healthier diets and move more.
Diabetes gene raises odds of lower birth weight – Gene previously shown to be involved in the development of type 2 diabetes also predisposes children to having a lower birth weight, revealed by researchers.
Childhood obesity increases early signs of cardiovascular disease – By as early as 7 years of age, being obese may raise a child’s future risk of heart disease and stroke, even without the presence of other cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, a new study found.
Does mom know when enough is enough? Missed satiety cues from infants linked to childhood obesity. – As the childhood obesity epidemic in the United States continues, researchers are examining whether early parent and child behaviors contribute to the problem.
FSU researcher wins $2.2 million grant to study childhood obesity. If you’re overweight as a child, you’re more likely to be overweight as an adult. – In response to a worrisome rise in childhood obesity, Florida school districts have begun to monitor student growth development every year, but there is little research available to determine if the effort is having an effect.
When does severe childhood obesity become a child protection issue? – When does severe childhood obesity become a child protection issue? This is just one of the ethical, medical and legal questions confronting doctors as they deal with increasing rates of childhood obesity, according to a series of articles in the latest Medical Journal of Australia.
Early and accurate diagnosis of pediatric weight issues is an essential first step in identifying the obesity problem. – Despite recent widespread media attention given to studies that have indicated one-third of American children have a weight problem, a new study shows just one-third of children who are overweight or obese actually receive that diagnosis by a pediatrician.
