Childhood Obesity - Do you have an overweight child? We offer tips to help your child lose weight and get fit!

The My Overweight Child blog will help you keep informed about the latest research, findings, and resources available to parents of overweight or obese kids. There are many knowledgeable people working on the increasingly dire problem of childhood obesity - and we want to give parents a place where they can check in regularly to see the latest studies and tips available to help you help your child lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

We invite you to add your comments - if you have feedback for the blog, would like some specific topics covered, or you just want to share your experience as a parent dealing with childhood obesity.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Gov't Task Force Recommends Treatment, Screening for Obese Kids

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended that doctors screen children for obesity and give them treatment if they need it.

Treatment would be once or twice a week for at least six months, and include diet, activity and behavior counseling. Just five years ago, the task force said there were few benefits in treating overweight children because most treatment plans do not work. Insurance companies often will not pay for pediatric obesity treatments for the same reason.

However, the Task Forces new guidelines indicate that even slight progress  such as not gaining more weight or losing a few pounds can be extremely beneficial to children.
  • For example, just losing two pounds can move a very young child out of the "overweight"category and into "normal."
  • About 32 percent of American children are overweight
  • About 20 percent of American children are obese.
  • The panel did not recommend that doctors prescribe diet drugs to children.
This report appeared in the journal Pediatrics.

Labels: government, screening, treatment

Posted By: Aspen/CRC