Childhood Obesity News and Research

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More screen time, less sleep: What researchers observed in children with obesity

A cross-sectional study of 70 children in Spain found that those with obesity reported more daily recreational screen time, shorter sleep duration, and more frequent chronic sleep disturbances than their normal-weight peers. Higher screen-time scores were significantly associated with greater odds of obesity, while the association with sleep disturbances did not reach statistical significance.

2 Nov 2026

Could a hormone from our bones reveal early signs of insulin resistance?

Research reveals a link between osteocalcin and insulin resistance in obese children, suggesting early metabolic changes before glucose tolerance impairment.

21 Oct 2026

Cutting sugary drinks helps reduce childhood obesity, study finds

While the adult obesity rate appears to be slowing in the United States, childhood obesity remains historically high, affecting nearly 1 in 5 school-aged children.

9 Oct 2026

New global definition changes how childhood obesity is identified

A new global definition of clinical obesity classifies far fewer children as obese than the widely used body mass index (BMI), according to a large international study. And the findings could lead to changes to how childhood obesity is identified and managed.

6 Oct 2026

GLP-1s linked to nutritional deficiencies in children

Children prescribed GLP-1 medications for weight loss, prediabetes, or type 2 diabetes are at risk for nutritional deficiencies – diagnosed in nearly one in six patients (16.8%) within the first year – according to a new study published in the journal Childhood Obesity.

24 Sep 2026

Early childhood BMI trajectories predict later cardiometabolic health risks

Childhood obesity predicts later cardiometabolic disease, but single-time weight measures may miss dynamic growth information.

23 Sep 2026

Higher BMI linked to brain differences in preschool children

Children as young as 4 with a higher body mass index (BMI) showed differences in several brain regions involved in reward, taste and hunger, according to a new study from Florida International University.

22 Sep 2026

Waist-to-height ratio reliably detects chronic liver disease risk in children

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is now the most common chronic liver disease in children and adolescents, closely mirroring the global rise in childhood obesity.

22 Sep 2026

Poor sleep health in late pregnancy linked to higher childhood obesity risk

New research has found that mothers with poor sleep quality in late pregnancy had babies with lower weight in the first 6 months of life, but higher weight after age 1-2 years.

22 Sep 2026

GLP-1 medications place children at risk for nutritional deficiencies

21 Sep 2026

What children eat may leave a measurable signature in their blood

Researchers analyzed 236 blood metabolites in 421 children to examine metabolic signatures associated with three dietary patterns characterized by core foods, animal protein sources, or poor-quality fats and sugars. The results identified distinct, biologically plausible metabolite patterns across dietary exposures, although most individual associations did not survive multiple-testing correction and require validation in independent cohorts.

15 Sep 2026

Proteomic signatures reveal early signs of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease in children

Researchers at Vanderbilt Health, UTHealth Houston and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have identified early signs of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease (CKMD) in children as young as 8 years old that potentially can be reversed with a new class of weight loss drugs used widely by adults

11 Sep 2026

Teens can now order lunch from almost anywhere. Schools are facing a new dilemma

A national survey of 1,027 US adolescents aged 13 to 17 found that nearly one in four reported using mobile food delivery services during school hours, while almost half used them after school. Fast food and sugar-sweetened beverages were among the most commonly ordered items through delivery apps overall, while students also raised concerns about cost, inequality, safety, and disruption at school.

8 Sep 2026

What mothers eat in pregnancy may shape a child’s weight years later

A prospective study of 252 mother-child pairs found that higher combined maternal fruit and vegetable intake during pregnancy was associated with lower odds of overweight or obesity in children at age four. Total and natural fruit juice showed no association, whereas higher commercial fruit juice intake was associated with increased odds, though the authors emphasized that this finding was exploratory.

7 Sep 2026

GLP-1 drugs have benefits beyond weight loss. Could microdoses preserve them?

A narrative review suggests GLP-1-based therapies deliver metabolic, cardiovascular, renal, and other systemic benefits, raising interest in whether lower fractional doses could improve tolerability and treatment continuity. However, direct evidence for GLP-1 microdosing remains extremely limited, and researchers say prospective studies are needed to determine whether lower doses preserve long-term benefits.

1 Sep 2026

Plyo-HIIT program targets healthier body composition in children

Traditional weight-loss strategies for children, from calorie restriction to general aerobic exercise, often carry an unwanted side effect: they cut fat, but they also erode muscle mass.

28 Aug 2026

Childhood overweight linked to lower childbirth rates later in reproductive life

Women with childhood overweight or obesity trajectories had lower hazards of childbirth from their mid-20s onward, with the strongest associations emerging after age 30. Childhood BMI trajectories were generally not associated with diagnosed infertility, suggesting that biological infertility alone may not explain the reduced childbirth rates.

11 Aug 2026

Primary care practices successfully deliver family-based childhood obesity treatment

Childhood obesity affects one in five children in the U.S., yet most families have limited access to specialized weight-management programs for children.

27 Jul 2026

Maternal diets high in UPFs may influence children’s health years later

A narrative review of 84 publications links higher ultra-processed food intake during pregnancy and early childhood with poorer diet quality, maternal complications, childhood obesity, and potential immune, metabolic, and neurodevelopmental effects. The authors identify possible microbiome and biopsychosocial pathways but emphasize that the predominantly observational evidence cannot establish causality.

17 Jul 2026

Genetics play a bigger role than pregnancy in childhood obesity risk

Genetic factors primarily explain the link between parental and childhood BMI, with maternal obesity impacting birth weight more than later childhood obesity.

1 Jul 2026