Childhood Obesity News and Research

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Creator of California Tay-Sachs Disease Prevention Program among the honorees

A mere 40 years ago, parents didn't know they were carriers of the Tay-Sachs disease until after they'd given birth to a child with this fatal genetic disorder.

7 May 2010

Imprinted genes may be the root cause of gender specific diseases, says study

Pregnancy places competing demands on a mother's physiology: Her body wants to produce a strong healthy baby but not at the expense of her own health. Some of the genes that she passes on to her child therefore try to protect her own body from excessive demands from her child.

7 May 2010

IBM embarks on multi-year research effort to better understand actions needed to improve human health

IBM today launched a multi-year research effort to connect and analyze enormous collections of data from a wide variety of sources in order to enable individuals, governments and businesses to better understand which actions to take to improve human health. The project will initially focus on solving the issue of childhood obesity.

6 May 2010

Obesity epidemic may be flattening out - still much to be done

The prevalence of childhood obesity might be stabilising in developed countries, but there is still much to be done to combat this major threat to health, according to a Seminar published on Online First and in an upcoming issue of The Lancet.

6 May 2010

Pay-for-performance may create unintended financial incentives for doctors to discriminate against obese patients

Pay-for-performance reimbursement models may create unintended financial incentives for doctors to discriminate against obese patients, measuring a patient's waist circumference may be more effective in predicting surgical outcomes than the more traditional body mass index measure, and childhood obesity doubles the risk of developing colon cancer, according to data being presented at Digestive Disease Week- 2010.

5 May 2010

Americans and their babies are gaining more body fat: Study

A new study has found for the first time that as Americans are gaining more body fat, so are their babies. The research, which reviewed data from more than 74,000 births, found that a key measure of body fat composition in newborns increased significantly over a 15-year period, mirroring similar increases among pregnant mothers. The findings were presented Sunday by researchers from Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting.

5 May 2010

Prevalence of childhood obesity, overweight appears to vary among states: Report

The prevalence of childhood obesity and overweight appears to vary widely among states, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the July print issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

4 May 2010

Empowering kids to make healthy choices can help combat obesity

Kids and teens often think they know what's best. When it comes to preventing childhood obesity, maybe we should listen to them, says Baker Harrell, executive director of ACTIVE Life, a non-profit organization that seeks to combat obesity with social activism.

4 May 2010

Percentage of obese girls in the U.S. increases: HRSA study

The percentage of obese girls in the United States increased more than twice as much as the percentage of obese boys from 2003 to 2007, according to a study by researchers at the Health Resources and Services Administration.

4 May 2010

Study shows association between sleep duration and weight in adolescents

Adolescents who don't get enough sleep may gain more than some extra time to play video games or text their friends. They also may gain weight, according to research being presented Tuesday, May 4 at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

4 May 2010

One-half of physicians do not recommend bariatric surgery for adolescents

Severely obese adolescents may desire or potentially benefit from bariatric surgery. However, half of primary care physicians say they would not recommend the procedure to a patient under the age of 18, according to research published in Obesity Surgery

4 May 2010

Obese children are more likely to be bullied in schools

Obese children are more likely to be bullied regardless of gender, race, socioeconomic status, social skills or academic achievement.

3 May 2010

Experts discuss effective method for obesity prevention at 2010 PAS meeting

Childhood obesity is a rapidly growing epidemic, but questions remain as to who can best prevent it - the child? The parents? Society? Hear a panel of ethicists, social scientists, and obesity specialists as they discuss whether a societal or public health approach is the most effective method for obesity prevention at the 2010 Pediatric Academic Societies meeting in Vancouver.

3 May 2010

Nationwide Children's Hospital opens first pediatric Pseudotumor Cerebri Clinic in the U.S.

While most headaches in children can be treated with over-the-counter pain medications or lifestyle changes, it is important to pay attention to their symptoms in case they herald something more serious.

30 Apr 2010

Kaiser Permanente approves over 250 grants and donations totaling $7 million

Kaiser Permanente, one of America's leading health care providers and nonprofit health plans, announced today it approved more than 250 grants and donations nationwide totaling approximately $7 million in the first quarter of 2010. The grants focused on expanding access to nutritious food, providing safe spaces for all ages to increase physical activity, increasing opportunities for continuing education, and eliminating health disparities.

28 Apr 2010

Pilot role-modeling program shows reduced and sustained body mass indexes in children

Weight Watchers has helped millions of American adults successfully lose weight and now results from a pilot, family-focused Weight Watchers approach designed to support parents shows potential for success in reducing excess weight in children, according to a study presented at the Experimental Biology Annual Meeting, Anaheim, Calif., April 27, 2010.

28 Apr 2010

Pennsylvania school districts set goals to reduce childhood obesity

Pennsylvania school districts set goals and improved snacks and a la carte offerings to meet federal legislation for reducing childhood obesity, but opportunities for physical activity did not improve in most schools, according to Pennsylvania nutritional scientists.

26 Apr 2010

IPEMA compiles list of 5 important steps to help ensure safety of children on playground

With the recent announcement of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move initiative to battle childhood obesity, The International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association is reminding parents and caregivers of the importance of providing an hour of free play outdoors in a safe play environment during National Playground Safety Week (April 26-30).

24 Apr 2010

Real-people videos and expert advice to address childhood obesity

More than anything, bad habits are to blame for the childhood obesity epidemic. For Alejandra and her parents, food was an expression of love. But overeating and other unhealthy habits led this 11-year-old Hispanic girl to become an overweight kid.

23 Apr 2010

Study shows Inuit children are tall as U.S. counterparts, but are also heavier

Inuit preschoolers in Nunavut are as tall as their U.S. counterparts but they're also heavier, according to a new study published in the online edition of the International Journal of Circumpolar Health.

21 Apr 2010