Obesity

Low concentrations of intestinal microbiota could lead to obesity in children, a new study suggests. What dietary deficiency is associated with decreased colonization rates of these bacteria? More >>

New research has found that cumulative exposure to social risk factors in girls aged 1 and 3 years increases their odds of being obese by 5 years, with even higher odds if 2 or more risk factors are experienced at the same time. What are these risk factors, and how do you spot them during visits?

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common cause of pediatric chronic liver disease. New research has found that genetic variants are associated with increased susceptibility to fatty liver disease in children with obesity. What does this finding mean for your patients with obesity?

Use of electronic health record (EHR) computer-assisted decision tools can increase identification, diagnosis, and counseling for overweight and obese children and adolescents, a study of a large pediatric population suggests. Find out how these tools can help overcome barriers to weight management for your patients.

The latest data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey show that the overall prevalence of obesity in children may be leveling off at about 17%, in contrast to the rapid increases seen in the 1980s and 1990s. Another study showed that the availability of junk foods had little effect on weight gain in middle-school children. Learn why efforts to promote healthy eating may have to extend beyond the classroom.

Addressing health issues affecting your obese patients now instead of waiting until they develop medical conditions later can help save $3 billion in US health costs a year. But you have to be careful how you discuss children’s obesity issues with their parents. What are the terms most likely to be accepted, understood, and acted on?

More than 90% of responding parents said that they would seek medical attention for a condition that would limit their child?s ability to play, reduce life expectancy, or increase future health care costs. Yet, only just more than half said they would seek medical attention for overweight or obesity?even though it?s been proven that obesity can cause those problems and more. Parents also had some surprising answers when asked which would be preferable: removal of the obese child from the home or bariatric surgery.

Parents who continue to bottle feed their infants past the first birthday are encouraging behaviors that may contribute to obesity by the time their children enter kindergarten.

Investigators examined the extent to which introduction of solid foods to infants younger than 4 months is associated with increased risk of obesity at 3 years.

Childhood obesity has escalated into one of the most - if not the most - significant public health concerns of the 21st Century.

Childhood obesity is one of the most challenging problems facing pediatricians today.

Investigators assessed the relationship between adenovirus 36-specific antibodies and obesity in children to test the hypothesis that this type of viral infection may play a role in the epidemic increase in prevalence of pediatric obesity.

Help families lead the fight against child obesity by helping their children to eat healthfully at home, FDA says.

Short durations of sleep among infants and preschool-aged children appear to be a risk factor for obesity later in childhood.

Increased prevalence of overweight and obesity has led to many intervention programs promoting prevention.

Investigators examined the association between obesity and 3 household routines in young children: regularly eating dinner as a family, sleeping on weekdays and limited TV viewing.

Healthcare teams at several Massachusetts community health centers are trying out a "third way" for treating obesity in the primary care setting.

Childhood obesity, glucose intolerance, and hypertension, but not hypercholesterolemia, predict premature death from endogenous causes.

A collection of web resouces about pediatric obesity.

Obesity in children ranks as the leading child-related health issue, according to a poll of two thousand adults.

The problems of child obesity made Bill Clinton and American Heart Association president Timothy Gardner work together for a solution. That solution, though, will take a lot more than two people.

The Arkansas surgeon general testified about how his state is fighting the obesity epidemic.

Moderate-to-severe ear infections in children may damage a taste-sensing serve that could pave the way for overeating and adult obesity, reported researchers at the American Chemical Society Fall 2008 meeting.

While maternal obesity does not appear to impact infant mortality among whites, the opposite may be true among blacks, according to the June Obstretics & Gynecology.

The growing incidence of pediatric obesity is widely recognized as epidemic, but strategies to cope with increasing pediatric girth have been slow to appear. A crowded PAS session on Sunday morning highlighted four promising programs.