Guidelines For Childhood Obesity Published

Guidelines for the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity have been recently published. Click on the title to read the entire publication. Quotes are from the published paper, but the opinions are my own. Novel concepts were discussed like better food choices and daily exercise!

The Endocrine Society has issued practice guidelines for the prevention and treatment of pediatric obesity and has published them in the September 9 Online First issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. The guidelines were cosponsored by the Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society.

"The Clinical Guidelines Subcommittee of The Endocrine Society identified pediatric obesity as a priority area requiring practice guidelines and appointed a Task Force to formulate evidence-based recommendations," write Gilbert P. August, from the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC, and colleagues. "Accordingly, the purpose of these guidelines is to summarize information concerning the seriousness of pediatric obesity and overweight; the diagnostic criteria; the available treatments and when to apply them; and the available measures to prevent overweight and obesity.”

As part of the recommendation, there are a few really important points that should be emphasized when treating these patients:

To help prevent obesity, clinicians should recommend that infants be breast-fed for at least 6 months and that schools offer children in all grades 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous daily exercise.

Clinicians should educate children and parents regarding healthy dietary and activity habits; advocate to restrict availability of unhealthy food choices in schools; ban advertising promoting unhealthy food choices to children; and redesign communities in ways that will maximize opportunities for safe walking and bike riding to school, athletic activities, and neighborhood shopping.

I know I’m preaching to the choir, but think of how just these two little changes would make such a big difference in our society. This would be landmark in our little part of Texas! My kids at this point only get 2 physical education classes a week! And they can’t ride their bikes to school because there are no sidewalks!

"The objective of interventions in overweight and obese children and adolescents is the prevention or amelioration of obesity-related co-morbidities, e.g., glucose intolerance and T2DM [type 2 diabetes mellitus], metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, and hypertension," the authors of the guidelines write. "We suggest that pharmacotherapy (in combination with lifestyle modification) be considered if a formal program of intensive lifestyle modification has failed to limit weight gain or to mollify comorbidities in obese children. Overweight children should not be treated with pharmacotherapeutic agents unless significant, severe co-morbidities persist despite intensive lifestyle modification."

Bottom line: Better food choices and regular exercise! How novel?

Get your kids running with you and make the first step towards a better, leaner society. Encourage your kids to bike, swim, and do regular exercise every day!

Run Happy! And with your children!