Childhood Obesity News and Research

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Can teachers be the secret weapon in the fight against childhood obesity?

A recent study demonstrates that teachers equipped with nutrition education resources can effectively combat childhood obesity in underserved areas. The research highlights the need for professional development programs that enhance teacher well-being and self-efficacy, emphasizing their vital role as agents of change in public health.

17 Sep 2023

Experts warn of unintended consequences of using GLP-1RAs to treat childhood obesity

A team of clinicians, exercise scientists, pharmaceutical scholars, ethicists and behavioral experts at the University of California, Irvine, outlined their concerns that the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) to treat childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes may have unintended and adverse consequences for children's health.

28 Aug 2023

Maternal obesity linked to childhood weight issues through DNA changes

Boston Birth Cohort study finds that maternal pre-pregnancy obesity alters newborn DNA methylation, potentially increasing the risk of obesity in the child. The research targets high-risk U.S. demographics and could guide future interventions for childhood obesity.

27 Aug 2023

Social media and the internet: Top concerns for parents of school-age children

As children head back to school, two issues have climbed higher on their parents' list of concerns: the role of social media and the internet in kids' lives.

21 Aug 2023

New insights into severe obesity genetics: Evidence from adults seeking treatment reveals intriguing oligogenic patterns

Researchers explore the prevalence of rare genetic forms of obesity in a United Kingdom-based clinical obesity cohort.

14 Aug 2023

Moving to polluted areas can lead to weight gain in kids

A large natural experiment in Catalonia shows that moving to areas with higher levels of air pollution is associated with weight gain in young children.

1 Aug 2023

Tackling obesity in children with heart disease

Childhood is a window of opportunity to tackle obesity before the damage it causes is irreversible, according to a scientific statement by experts on heart disease and childhood obesity published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1

26 Jul 2023

$3 million NIH grant awarded to investigate the connections between maternal BMI and childhood obesity

Researchers at Michigan State University and Henry Ford Health received a $3 million grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases within the National Institutes of Health to study the connections between maternal body mass index, or BMI, and childhood obesity.

25 Jul 2023

Got milk in school? Farmers fight health advocates over the creamy ‘whole’ variety

Amanda Condo works at her family's Pennsylvania dairy farm, but her son often won't drink milk at school. He doesn't like the flavor.

13 Jul 2023

Racial discrimination may exacerbate obesity risk in children

Children who experience racial discrimination are more likely to later have a higher body mass index (BMI) and larger waistline, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open.

11 Jul 2023

Pennington Biomedical Research Center works to combat childhood obesity

One in five children have obesity in the U.S., and even more are considered overweight. Dr. Amanda Staiano, associate professor at Pennington Biomedical Research Center and director of the Pediatric Obesity and Health Behavior Laboratory, believes childhood obesity is at the top of the list for public health issues of this century because children with obesity are much more likely to develop heart disease, diabetes, asthma, sleep problems and other issues.

6 Jul 2023

School nurses play key role in reducing childhood obesity

School nurses do much more than bandage scraped knees and take temperatures. A Rutgers study, published in the journal Pediatric Nursing, suggests they also may play a key role in reducing childhood obesity.

6 Jul 2023

Growing up in poverty may influence the wiring of a child's brain, study suggests

A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that growing up in poverty may influence the wiring of a child's brain.

27 Jun 2023

Women with higher maternal BMI have shorter breastfeeding duration, finds study

Breastfeeding has significant benefits for both maternal and child health. Research has indicated that women with higher body mass index (BMI) have shorter durations of breastfeeding, but few underlying mechanisms have been identified.

23 Jun 2023

Plant-based foods may be a key to preventing childhood obesity

A new study led by researchers from the Mass General Brigham healthcare system suggests that taking a "food is medicine" approach could increase nutrition security for families and lead to reductions in body mass index (BMI) in children.

22 Jun 2023

10 postdoctoral fellows from Latin America receive Pew funding for biomedical research

The Pew Charitable Trusts today announced the 2023 class members of the Pew Latin American Fellows Program in the Biomedical Sciences.

13 Jun 2023

Common weight-loss surgery for obese adolescents and young adults reduces bone strength

A common weight-loss surgery for obese adolescents and young adults is found to have harmful effects on bones, according to a study published in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America.

13 Jun 2023

'Every Bite Counts': The importance of monitoring diet in the first 24 months of life

Researchers address the need for improved methods of assessing dietary intake in infants and young children.

29 May 2023

Toddler’s gut bacteria highly predictive of body mass index at age 5

The make-up and volume of gut bacteria in toddlers at 3.5 years old is predictive of body mass index (BMI) at age 5, irrespective of whether they are born prematurely or not, according to new research, being presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Dublin, Ireland (17-20 May).

22 May 2023

What is the effect of maternal fish oil supplementation in overweight or obese mothers on infant body composition and metabolism?

Researchers examined the effects of fish oil supplementation on pregnant and postpartum women who are overweight or obese.

4 May 2023