Childhood Obesity News and Research

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Infant BMI better predicts early childhood obesity

Babies with a high body mass index (BMI) at age two months are at risk for obesity at age two years, say pediatric researchers. The authors, in an online study published today in Pediatrics, say that BMI better predicts early childhood obesity than weight-for-length, the current standard measurement.

22 Apr 2016

Mother’s misperception of child's weight status linked to childhood obesity or malnutrition

A new study from the University of Houston Department of Health and Human Performance finds a child's risk for obesity or malnutrition may be tied to the mother's misperception of her child's weight status. A key to understanding this phenomenon may lie in how she regards her own weight status. Researchers say the situation shows that healthcare providers need to broaden their health care screenings.

21 Apr 2016

Novel strategy for obesity prevention in young children

A novel approach to preventing overweight/obesity in young children by replacing traditional, individual well-child care with a series of group visits that emphasize nutrition-focused interventions during the first 18 months of life was associated with a significantly reduced obesity rate at 2 years of age.

20 Apr 2016

Family interventions may help reduce children's genetic risks for obesity

Children's genetic risks for obesity may be reduced by interventions that strengthen family communication and help children manage their emotions and feelings of satiety, according to a new review of research on the problem.

20 Apr 2016

New research centre to tackle childhood obesity to be launched at University of Sydney’s CPC

A world-first research centre exclusively focused on tackling the childhood obesity epidemic will launch this week at the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre (CPC).

19 Apr 2016

More than half of U.S. adults believe today's kids have diminished emotional and mental health

More than half of adults believe children today are more stressed, experience less quality family time and have worse mental and emotional health than children in past generations, according to the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health.

18 Apr 2016

Report highlights parlous state of British children's teeth

The Local Government Association has today published a report that states that around 100 children and teenagers a day are being admitted to hospital for surgery to remove rotten teeth.

18 Apr 2016

Adolescent obesity linked to elevated risk of cardiovascular mortality in midlife

A nationwide study of 2.3 million Israeli adolescents, examined from 1967 through 2010, finds an association between elevated body-mass index in late adolescence, and subsequent cardiovascular mortality in midlife.

16 Apr 2016

Obesity and diabetes during pregnancy can cause excessive growth of foetus

A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Cambridge showed that obese women who develop gestational diabetes have a five-fold greater risk of excessive foetal growth at 6 months gestation. Furthermore, it revealed that such excessive growth starts before women are screened for gestational diabetes.

8 Apr 2016

BMI measurement can help pediatricians identify infants at higher risk of early-childhood obesity

Pediatricians can now identify infants who are at higher risk of early-childhood obesity, before obesity develops, using a simple measurement of body mass index (BMI), a tool not routinely used until children are 2 years old.

2 Apr 2016

Simple tips to help parents and children lead a healthy life

Obesity is almost at epidemic proportions; it has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years nationwide. Rosa Cataldo, DO, MPH, Director of the Healthy Weight & Wellness Center at Stony Brook Children's Hospital, says that the most effective approach to addressing weight loss in children are lifestyle-based modifications that involve parents.

26 Mar 2016

New research links antibiotic use before age 2 to childhood obesity

While early antibiotic use has been associated with a number of rare long-term health consequences, new research links antibiotics to one of the most important and growing public health problems worldwide -- obesity.

23 Mar 2016

Students who eat breakfast at school less likely to be obese than students who skip breakfast

Middle school students who eat breakfast at school -- even if they have already had breakfast at home -- are less likely to be overweight or obese than students who skip breakfast, says a new study by the Community Alliance for Research and Engagement at the Yale School of Public Health and the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at the University of Connecticut.

17 Mar 2016

School fitness reports ineffective in promoting weight loss among students

Teens being classified as overweight in school fitness reports does not appear to have any impact on short-term changes in body mass index, finds a new study by New York University's Institute for Education and Social Policy, the Center for Policy Research at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and Columbia University.

15 Mar 2016

Birth of a sibling potentially associated with healthier BMIs for children by first grade

Becoming a big brother or big sister before first grade may lower a child's risk of becoming obese, a new study led by the University of Michigan suggests.

11 Mar 2016

Scientists identify novel gene variants associated with childhood BMI

An international team of scientists has identified novel gene locations associated with childhood body mass index (BMI)--an important measurement related to childhood obesity. The meta-analysis, covering over 47,000 children, is the largest genetic study to date of childhood BMI.

11 Mar 2016

Conducive work climate can help moms to continue breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is healthy for baby and for Mom. It has a positive impact on childhood obesity, infections and allergies, is linked to a lower likelihood of mothers getting ovarian or breast cancers later in life and to a more positive maternal-child relationship.

10 Mar 2016

Higher BMI in mothers linked with lower vitamin D levels in babies

Does a newborn's vitamin D level relate to the mother's weight during pregnancy? Results from a study published in PLOS ONE (Public Library of Science) provides ample evidence that yes, higher body mass index (BMI) in mothers is associated with lower vitamin D levels in their babies.

9 Mar 2016

Obese children at greater risk for pedestrian injuries

Child development experts already know obese children are at greater risk than their peers for developing high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, diabetes, and joint problems.