or her weight and become more involved in physical
activities and weight loss strategies.Prognosis
The younger the child is when weight control strat-
egies begin, the better the chance that the child will be
able to maintain a normal weight. When it comes to
weight control, one advantage children over adults is
that they grow. If a child can maintain his weight with-
out gaining, he may grow into a normal weight as he
becomes taller. Parents need to be careful about how
they approach weight loss in children. Critical com-
ments about weight from parents or excess zeal in
putting their child on a rigorous diet can triggereating
disorderssuch asanorexia nervosaorbulimia nervosa
in some children, especially adolescent girls.
Children who remain overweight have a much
greater likelihood of beingoverweight adults with all
the health problems that obesity brings. Studies have
found that 26–41% of preschoolers who are obese
become obese adults. In school-aged children, 42–63%
of children with obesity become obese adults. The
greater the degree of overweight, the higher the likeli-
hood that overweight will continue into adulthood.
Prevention
Parents must take the lead in preventing obesity in
children. Some of the ways they can do this are:
Serve a healthy variety of foods; keep healthy snacks
on hand.
Choose low-fat cooking methods such as broiling or
baking
Eliminate junk snack food and sugary beverages
from the house. This removes temptation and elimi-
nates the need to nag.
Eat meals together as a family rather than grabbing
something quick on the run.
Limit visits to fast-food restaurants.
Limit television and computer time.
Plan family activities that involve physical activity,
such as hiking, biking, or swimming.
Encourage children to become more active in small
ways such as walking to school, biking to friends’
houses, or doing chores such as waking the dog or
mowing the lawn.
Avoid using food as a reward.
Pack healthy homemade lunches on school days.
Encourage school officials to eliminate soda machines
on campus, bake sales, and fundraising with candy
and cookies.
Set realistic goals for weight control and reward
children’s efforts.
Model the eating behaviors and active lifestyle you
would like your child adopt.Resources
BOOKS
Fletcher, Anne M.Weight Loss Confidential: How Teens
Lose Weight and Keep It Off—And What They Wish
Parents Knew.Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2006.
Hassink, Sandra,. ed.A Parent’s Guide to Childhood Obesity:
A Road Map to Health.Elk Grove Village, IL: Ameri-
can Academy of Pediatrics, 2006.
Koplan, Jeffrey P., Catharyn T. Liverman, and Vivica I.
Kraak, eds.Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the
Balance.Washington, DC: National Academies Press,
2005.
Okie, Susan.Fed Up!: Winning the War Against Childhood
Obesity.Washington, DC: Joseph Henry Press, 2005.
Schumacher, Donald.Overcoming Obesity in Childhood and
Adolescence: A Guide For School Leaders.Thousand
Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2007.
World Health Organization.WHO Child Growth Standards:
Length/height-for-age, Weight-for-age, Weight-for-length,
Weight-for-height and Body Mass index-for-age: Methods
and Development.Geneva: World Health Organization,
2006.
PERIODICALS
American Heart Association. ‘‘Dietary Recommendations
for Children and Adolescents: AHA Scientific State-
ment.’’Circulation112 (2005):2061-2075.<http://circ
.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/112/13/2061>
MacNeil, Jane S. ‘‘Pediatric Standards for BMI Miss 2.1
Million Overweight Teenagers.’’Clinical Psychiatry
News32, no. 6 (June 1, 2004):39.
Strauss, Richard S. and Judith Knight. ‘‘Influence of the
Home Environment on the Development of Obesity in
Childhood.’’Pediatrics103 no.6 (June 1999):e85.
Yang, Y. C., S. L. Gortmaker, A. M. Sobolm, and K. M.
Kuntz. ‘‘Estimating the Energy Gap Among U.S.
Children: A Counterfactual Approach.’’Pediatrics 118
no.6 (December 2006):1721-33.
ORGANIZATIONS
American Academy of Pediatrics. 14 Northwest Point Blvd.
Elk Grove, IL 60007. Telephone: (874)434-4000. Website:
<http://www.aap.org>
American Heart Association. 7272 Greenville Avenue, Dal-
las, TX 75231. Telephone: (800) 242-8721. Website:
<http://www.americanheart.org>
American Obesity Association. 1250 24th Street, NW, Suite
300, Washington, DC 20037. Telephone: (202) 776-7711.
Fax: (202) 776-7712. Website:<http://www.obesity.org>
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd,
Atlanta, GA 30333. Telephone CDC Contact Center:
(800) CDC-INFO TTY: (888) 232-6348. Website:
<http://www.cdc.gov>Childhood obesity