Childhood Obesity News and Research

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How body image is perceived across different ethnic backgrounds

Different cultures have different standards and norms for appropriate body size and shape, which can effect how children perceive their body image.

24 Oct 2007

Exercise improves thinking and reduces diabetes in overweight kids

Just three months of daily, vigorous physical activity in overweight children improves their thinking and reduces their diabetes risk, researchers say.

22 Oct 2007

Children who are obese or who are at risk for obesity show early signs of heart disease

Childhood obesity in the United States is an epidemic -- nationwide, 19 percent of children ages 6 to 11 and 17 percent of those 12 to 19 are overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Those who are overweight during childhood also have an increased risk of obesity in adulthood and are at greater risk for complications such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, because obesity increases total blood volume, which leads to extra stress on the heart.

18 Oct 2007

British teens clueless when it comes to a healthy diet

A survey by a large supermarket chain in Britain has revealed that a third of teenage girls are on a diet or have recently tried to lose weight.

10 Oct 2007

Discouraging fizzy drink consumption has no long term impact on childhood obesity

An education programme which successfully cut the level of obesity in children by teaching them about healthy eating and discouraging fizzy drinks was no longer effective three years after the intervention came to an end, according to a study published on bmj.com today.

9 Oct 2007

American children not drinking enough milk

American children are drinking too little milk and what they are consuming is too high in fat, according to a Penn State study.

4 Oct 2007

Is it any wonder kids are fat?

While the debate over childhood obesity rumbles on and experts search for reasons for the epidemic, a clutch of new studies recently published suggests the causes are a combination of factors.

26 Sep 2007

Children obese due to a host of unhealthy pressures

Unhealthy options and pressures influence nearly every part of children's daily lives, according to studies released this week in a special supplement of the American Journal of Preventative Medicine.

25 Sep 2007

USC receives $7.5 million for Comprehensive Center of Excellence in Minority Health

In an effort to stem the rise of childhood obesity and related health risks, the University of Southern California (USC) has received a $7.5 million grant to launch a Comprehensive Center of Excellence in Minority Health.

25 Sep 2007

Analysis of aspartame

A report published in the September issue of Critical Reviews in Toxicology (Volume 37, Issue 8, pp. 629-727) systematically evaluates virtually all available scientific information about aspartame and concludes that the low calorie sweetener is safe.

12 Sep 2007

Health benefits of fruit juice

In years past, family physician Pamela Rockwell told parents not to let their children drink too much fruit juice because of its link to obesity.

5 Sep 2007

Gestational diabetes doubles children's risk of obesity

According to the latest research babies born to mothers with untreated gestational diabetes have nearly double the normal risk of becoming obese during childhood.

29 Aug 2007

Higher maternal sugar levels increases risk of childhood obesity

Treating diabetes during pregnancy can break the link between gestational diabetes and childhood obesity, according to a Kaiser Permanente study featured in the September issue of Diabetes Care.

28 Aug 2007

Gastric banding clinical trial for adolescents

Millions of adults have turned to surgery when diet and exercise don't work. Now, with childhood obesity sharply on the rise, researchers are exploring whether surgery may be a viable option for teens.

22 Aug 2007

Overweight kids at greater risk of school absenteeism

In the first study of how weight may affect school attendance, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University have found that overweight children are at greater risk of school absenteeism than their normal-weight peers.

13 Aug 2007

Obesity and poorer school attendance go hand in hand

New research in the U.S. has found that there is a connection between school attendance and obesity.

12 Aug 2007

Diet foods may encourage chilhood obesity

Canadian researchers say diet foods may be contributing to the epidemic of childhood obesity because they may inadvertently lead children to overeat.

8 Aug 2007

Concerns noted on study of soft drinks and metabolic syndrome

A recent observational study reported in the journal Circulation ("Soft Drink Consumption and Risk of Developing Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and the Metabolic Syndrome in Middle-Aged Adults") needs to be considered in the proper scientific context, especially in relation to other previously published research that has reached the opposite conclusion.

26 Jul 2007

Importance of starting pregnancy at a healthy weight

Smoking and drinking don't mix with pregnancy, but not so with excess weight before and during pregnancy.

13 Jul 2007

Family-based weight management program cuts diabetes risk, improves BMI in overweight children

Children who participated in a family-based weight management program designed for inner-city minority children had better outcomes regarding weight gain, body fat, body mass index (BMI) and insulin sensitivity compared to children who received traditional weight counseling in a clinic, according to a study in the June 27 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, a theme issue on chronic diseases of children.

27 Jun 2007