Childhood Obesity News and Research

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Nottingham experts identify risk factors associated with childhood obesity

High birth weight, rapid weight gain and having an overweight mother who smokes can all increase the risk of a baby becoming obese later in childhood, research by experts at The University of Nottingham has found.

30 Oct 2012

Roundup: New laws on breast screening irk some doctors; Improved school meals cut obesity; More Coloradans use ER

In a sign of the improving national economy, Medicaid spending growth this year slowed to 2 percent as enrollment in the state-federal health insurance program for the poor also slowed for the third consecutive year, according to a report released Thursday. In 2011, Medicaid spending soared by nearly 10 percent, which helped put the entitlement program in the crosshairs of politicians looking to lower the federal deficit and ease pressure on state budgets.

26 Oct 2012

Tonsillectomy does not lead to unhealthy weight in children

Tonsillectomy leads to weight gain in children, but does not increase the likelihood of overweight or obesity, report researchers.

23 Oct 2012

Parental stress may be important risk factor for child obesity and related behaviors

Parents with a higher number of stressors in their lives are more likely to have obese children, according to a new study by pediatric researchers. Furthermore, when parents perceive themselves to be stressed, their children eat fast food more often, compared to children whose parents feel less stressed.

23 Oct 2012

Stress in parents linked to obesity in their children

22 Oct 2012

AAP introduces new initiative to fight childhood obesity

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is launching a major new initiative in its fight against childhood obesity, focusing on both prevention and treatment of what has become a major threat to children's health in the U.S.

22 Oct 2012

Jersey Shore University Medical Center recognized as Baby-Friendly hospital

Jersey Shore University Medical Center has received an international designation as a Baby-Friendly hospital. Baby-Friendly USA, Inc. is the U.S. authority for the implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund.

18 Oct 2012

Gothenburg researchers aim to discover new methods for treatment of childhood obesity

By studying intestinal flora in newborn children, Professor Fredrik Bäckhed and his team of researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, aim to discover new methods to treat childhood obesity.

17 Oct 2012

Overweight children more likely to take prescription medications

Overweight children are far more likely to take prescription medications than children of a normal weight-a trend that adds to already higher health-care costs for treating childhood obesity, according to new research from the University of Alberta.

5 Oct 2012

The Center Helping Obesity In Children End Successfully receives Aetna Foundation grant

The Aetna Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Aetna, has awarded a $40,000 grant to The Center Helping Obesity In Children End Successfully (C.H.O.I.C.E.S.), an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization that works with communities in the metropolitan area to fight childhood obesity.

4 Oct 2012

UIC to study policy and environmental factors that influence youth behaviors

The University of Illinois at Chicago's ImpacTeen project has been awarded a $4.4 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to study policy and environmental factors that influence youth behaviors related to nutrition, physical activity and obesity.

3 Oct 2012

Study finds risk factors for weight problems among children in the US and England

With ties to diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol, childhood obesity in wealthy countries is certainly of growing concern to researchers. A new study explores the ties between childhood weight problems, socioeconomic status, and nationality and finds that race, ethnicity, and immigrant status are risk factors for weight problems among children in the US and England.

26 Sep 2012

Bisphenol A may contribute to childhood obesity

Research published in JAMA demonstrates strong evidence of a link between childhood obesity and bisphenol A exposure.

20 Sep 2012

Children and adolescents with high BPA levels more likely to have obesity

In a nationally representative sample of nearly 3,000 children and adolescents, those who had higher concentrations of urinary bisphenol A (BPA), a manufactured chemical found in consumer products, had significantly increased odds of being obese, according to a study in the September 19 issue of JAMA, and theme issue on obesity.

19 Sep 2012

Children can largely benefit from 40 minutes of daily, vigorous physical activity

Twenty minutes of daily, vigorous physical activity over just three months can reduce a child's risk of diabetes as well as his total body fat - including dangerous, deep abdominal fat - but 40 minutes works even better, researchers report.

19 Sep 2012

Message delivery vital to successful obesity prevention

The way that an anti-obesity message is delivered to people who are overweight or obese impacts dramatically on how successful campaigns are at motivating people to lose weight, say researchers.

13 Sep 2012

APS conference to explore potential mechanisms behind health benefits of exercise

The effects of physical inactivity are, literally, hazardous to your health. Although the detrimental effects of being inactive are generally thought to be associated with childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes, they have a significant impact on other illnesses. Physical inactivity contributed at least 25 percent to the prevalence of hip fractures, osteoporosis, coronary heart disease, and colon cancer according to recent data released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

12 Sep 2012

Study finds surprising difference in eating habits of younger and older overweight children

A new study by University of North Carolina School of Medicine pediatrics researchers finds a surprising difference in the eating habits of overweight children between ages 9 and 17 years compared to those younger than 9.

10 Sep 2012

Brain derived neurotrophic factor level indicates childhood obesity risk

Brain derived neurotrophic factor may play an important role in the development and pathophysiology of childhood obesity, report researchers.

4 Sep 2012

Metabolic syndrome associated with cognitive and brain impairments in adolescents

A new study by researchers at NYU School of Medicine reveals for the first time that metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with cognitive and brain impairments in adolescents and calls for pediatricians to take this into account when considering the early treatment of childhood obesity.

3 Sep 2012