The fight against childhood obesity typically focuses on kids that are kindergarten-age or older. But pediatricians warn that they're seeing more and more overweight toddlers.

"Program directors at a weight management program in Boston say they've never seen so many young children before... In fact, obesity rates among children younger than 5 have doubled over the last two decades."

Pediatricians are telling parents that it's never too early to begin managing a child's weight. Source: WXOW19 (La Crosse, WI)

Labels: pediatricians, toddlers, younger-children

Should eight-year-olds take anti-cholesterol medications? Yes, say new guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The new advice calls for doctors to screen all children ages two to ten for risk factors of heart disease (such as childhood obesity or family histories). If a child's cholesterol readings are too high, and if lifestyle changes such as better diet and more exercise do not help, then the AAP advises doctors to prescribe statin drugs - even to children as young as eight.

"We're in an epidemic," said Dr. Jatinder Bhatia, professor of neonatology at the Medical College of Georgia. "The risk of giving statins at a lower age is less than the benefit you're going to get out of it."

Others disagree, with many pointing out that because the drugs have only been around since the mid-1980s, no one is sure of the long-term effects they may have on the children to whom they are given.

Labels: cholesterol, medications, pediatricians

Obesity is a real problem for millions of kids and their parents. Most parents are aware of the dangers posed by childhood obesity, but may not know what to do about it.

"If you have concerns about your child's weight, talk with their doctor. Physicians typically don't want to put a young child on a calorie-restrictive diet, especially when a few modifications in the child's habits may make the difference."

Physicians may recommend cutting soft drinks and other high-sugar beverages. Also, be sure your child eats breakfast; skipping breakfast doubles the risk of obesity. Source: Naperville Sun

Labels: actions, parents, pediatricians

A study led by Dr. Matthew M. Davis at the University of Michigan found that many parents underestimate their children's weight and overall health. The study was conducted using an online survey in which parents reported their children's height and weight and asked parents if their children were overweight or obese.

"Among parents with an obese, or extremely overweight child ages 6 to 11, 43 percent said their child was 'about the right weight', 37 percent responded 'slightly overweight' and 13 percent said 'very overweight'."

Dr. Goutham Rao of the Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh noted that obesity is more difficult to identify in children, and that - because of the social stigma - some parents simply aren't willing to admit that their children are overweight.

Labels: overweight, parenting, pediatricians

Brenner Children's Hospital in North Carolina is opening the region's first program focused specifically on obese children. The program is called FIT (Families in Training) and will be led by Joseph Skelton, M.D., who comes from the Medical College of Wisconsin.

"The Brenner FIT program will provide comprehensive, holistic, family-centered medical treatment for morbidly obese patients in the region,' Skelton said. 'Our program is comprised of medical care, research, community education and outreach. Early next year, we hope to include a surgical component to Brenner FIT as well.'"

Skelton and his team are also part of the Collaborative to Strengthen Families and Neighborhoods, which was developed as a "learning lab" for developing possible solutions to child health issues.

Labels: education, hospitals, pediatricians

Weight loss surgeries seem, to many, to be a quick and easy solution to being overweight or obese. But along with the surgery come complications - over sixty of them - including diarrhea, depression, infections and weight regain. The list of complications has become so long that many primary care physicians are looking for alternatives to weight loss surgery.

"On October 18th, at the University of San Diego and on October 22 at the University of California, Los Angeles, [Laurel] Mellin and colleagues will launch a nationwide series of conferences for health professionals on a method that was developed at the University of California, San Francisco and which equips patients with the developmental skills to nurture and set limits from within, easing stress and enhancing joy. Research on its use with both adult and childhood obesity has supported its effectiveness."

Most attribute the rise in childhood obesity to fast food and video games, but Mellin and her colleagues have found that the availability of these new coping mechanisms is only effective because we've forgotten how to cope with negative emotions in healthy ways. Their seminar helps people learn to be more aware of their emotions and gives them five tools to help them not only cope, but move their stress level from a five down to a one. Margaret Suddeth, a program graduate, lost 60 using the method.

Labels: alternatives, pediatricians, weight loss surgery

Researchers have found that children as young as eight-years-old who are overweight or obese are seven times more like to be at risk for heart disease when they're teenagers. Risks like high-blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and elevated blood sugar were found in overweight or obese children who were just 15-years-old.

"The current results also suggest that doctors need only measure children's weight and height, and not their waistline, to get a good picture of their future heart risks. Childhood body mass index (BMI) - a measure of weight in relation to height - was more strongly related to future cardiac risk factors than waist circumference was."

The findings, which were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, were based on observations of 172 children who had their BMI and waistline information documented at age eight, and then again at age fifteen. At fifteen, the children were also assessed for heart disease risk factors.

Labels: blood_pressure, heart_disease, pediatricians

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

Gatorade has recently released its first sport drink aimed at children under thirteen. Called "Active Under 13s", the new drink has some pediatricians, nutritionists, and dentists upset.

"...Dr. Louise Baur, a pediatrician at the Children's Hospital at Westmead and the director of the University of Sydney's NSW Centre for Overweight and Obesity, said sports drinks were unnecessary for children and adolescents, and their consumption was part of the growing childhood obesity problem."

Dentists are also concerned with the high sugar content, which can not only cause problems with obesity but with tooth decay as well. Read more at SMH.com.au.

Labels: nutritionists, pediatricians, sports_drinks