20% of 4-Year-Olds Already Obese: Study

Only 13% recognize when their child is obese

(NEWSER) - Nearly half the parents of severely overweight children ages 6 to 11 said their child was “about the right weight,” and only 13% recognized that their child had a severe problem, says a University of Michigan study. The results indicate parents think children will “grow out” of obesity or that something will change as they age, reports the AP. More»

Researchers find links to problems later from prenatal to 3 years old

(NEWSER) - A kid's path to fat camp may begin even before conception, and, as one doctor tells the Los Angeles Times , “during pregnancy and the first two years of life, mothers and their infants are seen by physicians more often than any other time. It's kind of a golden opportunity” to stop obesity before it starts. What you can do during: More»

Definitive connection can't be made due to lack of relevant study

(NEWSER) - Levels of a marker tied to adult heart disease were twice as high in the blood of obese children as in the blood of average-weight kids in a recent study. The twist is that the research subjects were 3 to 5 years old, sparking concerns about the cumulative health effects of obesity. Researchers can't draw a direct connection between levels of the protein in children and heart ailments later in life, but one doctor says there is no reason to believe age makes a difference. More»

(NEWSER) - Overweight kids eat more when they eat with their overweight friends, Newsweek reports. A new study tested a child's consumption of healthy snacks and junk food while in the company of a friend or stranger who was either fat or lean. Overweight kids eating with a chubby buddy ate more unhealthy calories than any other pairing. More»

Dangerously chubby children may end up in social service system

(NEWSER) - Local government leaders in Britain warn that they may need to take drastic action to protect the health of dangerously overweight children—including taking them away from their parents, the Independent reports. They predict that a million British children will be clinically obese within four years, and that the social service system may have to take charge of caring for children in the worst cases. More»