Childhood Obesity News and Research

RSS

Research examines environmental exposures and increase in type 1 diabetes

Studies have shown a rapid increase in new cases of type 1 diabetes worldwide. However, scientists and researchers have struggled to identify a direct cause.

3 Feb 2020

Children born to mothers with gestational diabetes and preeclampsia at risk for higher BMI

Childhood obesity is a growing problem in the United States. For children, obesity is defined as having a body mass index at or above the 95th percentile, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18.5% of children between the ages of 2 and 19 meet this criteria.

22 Jan 2020

Study finds connection between parents' motivations and children's intake of unhealthy foods

As the countdown to a new school year begins, many parents will soon find themselves facing the often-arduous task of filling the school lunchbox which, despite the best of intentions, often ends up containing more junk food than nutrition.

21 Jan 2020

Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act has led to improvements in the quality of school meals

In a new analysis of studies conducted following the implementation of the 2010 Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act, researchers find positive effects on the dietary quality of meals served to school-aged children.

14 Jan 2020

Sugar content in soft drinks has reduced by 29% in the UK, shows study

Lead researcher Lauren Bandy and her colleagues looked at the nutritional information of a range of soft drinks in the UK, including carbonated drinks, concentrates, 100% juice, juice drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks and bottled water, and combined this with sales data from 2015-2018.

12 Jan 2020

Experts release new recommendations on bedsharing to promote breastfeeding

Leading experts representing The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) have released new evidence-based recommendations regarding the benefits and risks of bedsharing for mother-infant pairs who have initiated breastfeeding and are in home settings.

7 Jan 2020

Study examines how psychological factors affect outcomes of nutritional intervention for obese children

The World Health Organization has estimated more than 340 million children and adolescents ages 5-19 are overweight or obese, and the epidemic has been linked to more deaths worldwide than those caused by being underweight.

6 Jan 2020

Drug trial seeking treatment option for hyperphagia in patients with Prader-Willi Syndrome

One in every 15,000 children is affected by Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), a complex, genetic endocrine condition caused by a disorder of chromosome 15. It's non-inheritable, meaning the condition isn't passed down from a family member.

3 Jan 2020

Reduced-fat milk may increase the risk of obesity in children

Researchers have found that children who drink whole milk have a 40-percent reduced risk of being overweight or obese compared to those who drink reduced-fat milk.

2 Jan 2020

Low diet quality, night eating during pregnancy linked to postpartum weight gain and retention

A study led by researchers from KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) has found evidence that pregnant women who consume more of their daily food intake after 7.00 pm, and who consume lower quality diets during pregnancy, are more than three times more likely to experience postpartum weight retention of five kilograms or more, 18 months after giving birth.

19 Dec 2019

Could summer holidays have an adverse impact on kids’ health?

As thousands of Aussie kids start summer holidays this week, there's no doubt parents will see an increase in kids' screen time, snack time and general relaxation.

12 Dec 2019

Study examines foods served within faith community settings related to child health

Childhood obesity affects about 13.7 million children and adolescents in the United States and has been increasing for more than four decades.

20 Nov 2019

Regular co-use of pain and sleep medications may increase risk of frailty in older adults

Researchers from the Oregon Research Institute and Florida Atlantic University are the first to demonstrate statistically significant links between self-reported regular use of prescription drugs for pain and/or sleep, and longitudinal risk of frailty in adults ages 65 and older.

13 Nov 2019

Study finds children become less active as they move through primary school

Children become less physically active as they go through primary school, a new study found. Between the ages of 6 and 11, children lost more than an hour of excise per week, with a greater decline on weekends.

13 Nov 2019

Cardiac-specific biomarkers may help predict CVD risk factors early

A new review article provides valuable insights into how traditional and emerging cardiac-specific biomarkers and their associated cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors may help point to effective preventive interventions in high-risk obese populations starting at an early stage of disease development.

12 Nov 2019

Impaired liver function during pregnancy can lead to impaired metabolism and weight gain

Impaired liver function during pregnancy may alter gut bacteria composition and increase the risk of obesity in children, according to results presented at The Society for Endocrinology Annual Conference.

11 Nov 2019

Study highlights importance of public health efforts to reduce maternal obesity

In a study published in Pediatric Obesity, a child's high and increasing body mass index between ages two and six years was strongly associated with pre-pregnancy obesity and overweight in the child's mother; modestly associated with maternal type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes that required medication, and excessive weight gain during pregnancy; and slightly associated with breastfeeding for six months or less.

6 Nov 2019

Mother-infant free-play interactions have positive effect on child's obesity risk trajectories

The deleterious effects that obesity has on an individual's health and the difficulty of reversing it in adults are well-known, ranging from diabetes and heart disease to cancer.

5 Nov 2019

Proximity to junk food sources can impact kid’s chances of becoming obese

For the more than 1 million children attending New York City public schools, their choice of what to eat depends on which food sources are close to where they live.

29 Oct 2019

Bariatric surgery is safe and beneficial for teenagers with morbid obesity

Bariatric surgery is safe and, in many cases, beneficial for teenagers with morbid obesity who would otherwise face a heightened risk of developing severe health problems, including heart disease and stroke, according to a new study from Penn Medicine and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

25 Oct 2019