Hello all -

below is the 'official' AAP word on prevention of childhood obesity,
released last Monday.  Since someone mentioned seeing it, I thought it might
be helpful/useful to some to have the full citation to pass around.

-----------------------snip--------------
Hello. Below is a press release by the American Academy of Pediatrics
regarding their new policy statement advocating clinical recommendations for
the prevention of and early identification of overweight and obesity in
children. The policy is available at http://www.aap.org/policy/s100029.html
<http://www.aap.org/policy/s100029.html> .

Citation: Committee on Nutrition. Prevention of Pediatric Overweight and
Obesity. Pediatrics 2003; 112: 424-430.
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Source: http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/augobesity.htm
<http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/augobesity.htm>

AAP WEIGHS IN ON PREVENTING CHILDHOOD OBESITY

Below is a news release on a policy statement published in the August issue
of Pediatrics <http://www.pediatrics.org> , the peer-reviewed, scientific
journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

For Release: August 4, 2003, 12:01 am (ET)

CHICAGO - The dramatic increase in the prevalence of overweight children,
and the associated health and financial burdens, are issues every
pediatrician faces on a daily basis. A new policy from the American Academy
of Pediatrics (AAP) entitled, "Prevention of Pediatric Overweight and
Obesity <../../policy/s100029.html> " proposes strategies to foster
prevention and early identification of overweight and obesity in children.

A primary diagnostic tool suggested by the AAP is body mass index (BMI), the
ratio of weight to height. BMI is widely used to define overweight and
obesity, and significant changes in a child's BMI should be recognized and
addressed before the child becomes severely overweight. The policy points
out that some parents may not recognize or accept the potential risk of
their child being overweight. It also notes that anticipatory guidance or
treatment intervention before obesity has become severe will likely be more
successful.

According to the statement, the number of overweight and obese children has
doubled in the last two decades. Currently, 15.3 percent of 6- to
11-year-olds and 15.5 percent of 12- to 19-year-olds are at or above the
95th percentile for BMI.

Recommendations in the policy include:
* Identify and track patients at risk by virtue of family history, birth
weight, socioeconomic, ethnic, cultural or environmental factors
* Calculate and plot BMI once a year in all children and adolescents.
* Use change in BMI to identify rate of excessive weight gain relative to
linear growth.
* Encourage, support and protect breastfeeding.
* Encourage parents and caregivers to promote healthy eating patterns.
* Routinely promote physical activity, including unstructured play.
* Recommend limitation of television and video time to a maximum of two
hours per day.

The new policy advocates that pediatricians help parents, coaches and others
who influence youth to discuss health habits, not body build, as part of
their efforts to control overweight and obesity.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of
57,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and
pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and
well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.

--------------------------------snip-----------
Katherine Shealy



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