A recent report from the American Medical Association calls for doctors to stop using "fuzzy" terms like "at risk for overweight" to describe
children who are overweight or obese.
"The committee didn't identify a specific BMI score to classify overweight kids, yet recommended any child in the 84th to 95th percentile should be considered overweight and urged by pediatricians to drop some body fat. While no one is suggesting that doctors become less sensitive to kids or parents, there is a strong sentiment that fuzzy terms let everyone off the hook."
Dr. William Dietz, director of nutrition and physical activity at the Centers for Disease Control, says the agency will "fully discuss" the recommendations before deciding whether to adopt the new terms. Read more
online.
Confused about the terms
overweight, obese, BMI and childhood obesity? Read this factsheet on
Obesity and Overweight in Children and Teens for clarification and
programs to help your teen lose weight.
Labels: parenting, pediatricians, sensitivity