Overweight or obese kids at greater risk of high blood pressure

Overweight or obese kids at almost 3 times greater risk of high blood pressure — Increased fat in children raises their blood pressure risk – American Heart Association – Overweight or obese children are at three times greater risk for high blood pressure than children of normal weight, according to researchers from the Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine.

U.S. hospitals do not fully support breastfeeding

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.

US children eating more and more frequently outside home

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.

Healthy eating, physical activity and good sleep needed to curb obesity

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.

Review policies for childhood obesity, US

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 selection

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.

Action steps to cut childhood obesity rates

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.

Low birth weight linked to diabetes gene CDKAL1

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 heart disease

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.

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