Childhood Obesity News and Research

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New recommendations offer evidence-based strategies to help teenagers avoid obesity and eating disorders

A single approach can prevent both obesity and eating disorders in teenagers, according to new guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

22 Aug 2016

Maternal GDM linked to increased risk of childhood obesity among children aged 9-11 years

New research published in Diabetologia shows an increased risk of childhood obesity at age 9-11 years when the mother has had gestational diabetes during pregnancy.

11 Aug 2016

Study finds link between hairstyle choice and level of physical activity among African-American teens

As a childhood obesity expert and black woman, Susan Woolford, M.D., MPH, knows that some girls and women in the black community feel as if they have to choose between their health and their hair.

9 Aug 2016

P.E. teachers offer exercise tips to keep fit during summer vacation

For many students, summer vacation is a time to be lazy, but it's important for kids to keep up their physical activity year-round.

22 Jul 2016

Andy Murray becomes brand ambassador for Scotland’s DHI

International tennis superstar Andy Murray has teamed up with one of Scotland’s leading innovation centres to highlight the potential of technology to provide more efficient and effective health and care services in the UK and across the world.

21 Jul 2016

New report urges policy makers to act against excessive energy drinks consumption by children, teenagers

UK policy makers must act against excessive energy drinks consumption by children and young people, argues a new report published by the Food Research Collaboration, an initiative of the Centre for Food Policy.

21 Jul 2016

Home cooked food for young children not always better than readymade meals

Home cooked meals specifically designed for infants and young children, are not always better than commercially available baby foods.

20 Jul 2016

NRS Healthcare launches free Healthy Living Family Pack to help parents tackle childhood obesity

As part of National Childhood Obesity Week, which was held from 4th-10th July 2016, NRS Healthcare had launched a digital Healthy Living Family Pack to help families with children who may be experiencing issues with overeating, inactivity or poor nutrition.

14 Jul 2016

Hungry parents may serve large portions of food for their young children, study shows

The hungrier parents are at mealtimes, a new study shows, the more they may feed their young children, which could have implications for childhood obesity.

13 Jul 2016

Chinese city migrant children have lower obesity rates than kids from urban families

Researchers at the University of Birmingham have found that the children of migrants to Chinese cities have lower rates of obesity than youngsters in more affluent established urban families.

13 Jul 2016

New home-based intervention aims to improve health outcomes of children of South Asian immigrants

More than one-third of Bronx residents are born outside of the United States. Often separated from family, challenged by language barriers, unfamiliar with health resources, and burdened by poverty, they are at high risk for health problems. And these risks extend to their young children.

11 Jul 2016

Study reveals higher health care costs for obese preschoolers than healthy weight children

Obese children aged two to five years old are 2-3 times more likely to be admitted to hospital and have 60 per cent higher healthcare costs than healthy weight children, a study by the University of Sydney's School of Public Health has found.

6 Jul 2016

Educating parents on healthy infant sleep-related behaviors may help prevent childhood obesity

Teaching parents bedtime techniques to encourage healthy sleep habits in their infants may help prevent obesity, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers. Strong links exist between inadequate sleep and childhood obesity.

29 Jun 2016

Omega-3 rich diet during pregnancy has no effect on weight of babies

In Europe, almost one in three schoolchildren under the age of ten is overweight, if not obese. In the search for the cause of this phenomenon, fetal programming inside a mother's womb was put under scrutiny as a potential culprit for this "heavy issue".

28 Jun 2016

CHLA study provides novel insights into the brain mechanisms linked to Prader-Willi syndrome

A study published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics by researchers at Children's Hospital Los Angeles provides novel insights into the brain mechanisms underlying the insatiable hunger and subsequent obesity in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome.

15 Jun 2016

Adequate maternal folate may protect children from future obesity risk

Proper maternal folate levels during pregnancy may protect children from a future risk of obesity, especially those born to obese mothers, according to a study led by researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health.

14 Jun 2016

Fit Families program helps combat childhood obesity in New Mexico

Battling the childhood obesity epidemic is a priority for many researchers, as obesity during adolescence increases the risk of chronic diseases throughout life. Because obese children have lower quality of life and self-esteem, greater levels of depression and anxiety, and also face more teasing and bullying than normal-weight peers, including mental health in any intervention is necessary.

7 Jun 2016

Responsive parenting intervention helps curb childhood obesity

Mothers who practiced responsive parenting -- including reacting promptly and appropriately to hunger and fullness cues -- were less likely to have overweight babies at their one-year checkup than those who did not, say health researchers.

7 Jun 2016

Study: Majority of food, beverage products endorsed by music celebrities are unhealthy

Recording artists are frequently the face of commercial products—and children and adolescents are frequently their target audience. Now, a new study by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center finds that the vast majority of the food and beverage products marketed by some of the most popular music stars are unhealthy.

6 Jun 2016

Economic crisis may have long-term health consequences for children

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers have found that increases in unemployment in California during the Great Recession were associated with an increased risk for weight gain among the state's 1.7 million public school students, suggesting that economic troubles could have long-term health consequences for children.

4 Jun 2016