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October 11, 2008 11:02:53 PM CDT

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New Guidelines Target Child Obesity

Posted Dec 3, 07 5:03 PM CST in US,  Science & Health 

(Newser) – The most stringent guidelines to date for combating childhood obesity recommend yearly weight checks and possibly even medication or surgery for kids who can't combat the condition on their own, USA Today reports. Doctors should also keep normal-weight kids apprised of the ins and outs of healthy living, a panel of medical experts said in a report out today.

"Lots of parents and doctors are frustrated because there are no specific guidelines for treating overweight children," said one specialist. About 17% of American kids are obese, triple the rate in 1970, but little progress toward systematic diagnosis has been made. The new guidelines are much stricter than the 1998 version: They advocate an hour of daily exercise and limiting sugary beverages, fast food, and TV time.

Source USA Today

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The new report recommends all children undergo yearly weight checks.   (Shutterstock)
Keeping the little hands out of the French fries -- along with 60 minutes' daily exercise, limited boob-tube time, and yearly weight checks -- are among recommendations being published in Pediatrics magazine...   (Shutterstock)
Ivonne Borrero, center, and her son, Jose Roman, 11, walk along Boston Harbor Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007. The family is participating in "We Can!", a federal anti-childhood obesity program that pushes subtle...   (Associated Press)
Experts recommend rigorous new measures to combat childhood obesity.   (Getty Images)
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children  • obesity  • childhood obesity  • obesity epidemic  • nutrition  • children's health care  • American Medical Association  • pediatrics


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