Latest issues about weight management in children and adolescents

Dr Breen's original letter to Time Magazine:

Re: “first, be honest”. Time “Weighty issues” June 23.

The Oxford Dictionary(2002) defined obese as “grossly fat” and gross as “repulsive”.  No wonder parents refuse to consider their child may be “obese”.
When the “obesity epidemic” flourished, Health rushed in with negative terminology that is now entrenched. I see this as a fundamental flaw in our drive to help parents understand the meaning of obesity for their children.

No right-thinking parent would want their child to be labeled obese when Time itself, (Jan 7, 2008 cover article) encapsulated the essential differences between Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin as being that Yeltsin was “boozy and obese”, whereas Putin shows “energetic leadership”. In contrast, Time described Anne Dunham Soetoro (April 21, 2008 p25) as “by then a rather large woman”.

Yet there is an inclusive and user-friendly alternative terminology based on the steadygrow weightzones (www.steadygrow.com). This terminology will revolutionize users’ ability to communicate the healthy weight message to parents and to children themselves.

Read more from Dr Breen on prejudice based upon weight as it relates to obesity terminology

19 July 2006: Large USA study shows heavier teens more at risk of adverse health effects as adults

18 May 2006: New risks for kids who are small, thin and gain weight rapidly.

16 April 2006: Obesity surgery being considered for teenagers.

15 April 2006: Chocolate eggs okay as an Easter treat.

15 April 2006:'Fat' gene discovered.

9 April 2006: Carseats no longer big enough for kids that need them.

8 April 2006: Do people understand what the term "obesity" really means?

20 March 2006: It's OK to weigh, research finds.

19 July 2006: Large American study shows heavier teens more at risk of adverse health effects as adults 

Researchers call for obesity prevention in young children to be given more attention.
A study of over 100 000 women was published this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine.  It found that increased levels of body fat (adiposity) at age 18 were associated with an increased risk of premature death in younger and middle aged U.S. women.  In an editorial in the same journal Dr William Deitz, a leading child obesity expert, says "Although effective weight loss strategies for overweight children and adolescents may reduce risks for obesity-associated diseases or the premature death observed by van Dam and colleagues, preventing overweight should be an even higher public health priority. Most children and adolescents are not overweight. As Berkowitz and colleagues have shown, weight loss requires a substantial investment of therapists' time and substantial drug costs. Prevention of excessive weight gain in those who are not yet overweight may be a more cost-effective approach to weight control in the pediatric population."

Read more from Stuff health.

18 May 2006: New risks for kids who are small, thin and gain weight rapidly

New reseach has shown that children who are small at birth and thin at 2 years of age, then gain rapidly in BMI there after (even if their BMI remains within the normal range) may be at risk of insulin resistance (a precusor of type II diabetes) and heart problems in later life. 

A study in the October 05 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine looked at 2003 people born in Helsinki about 70 years ago.  Those who had had coronary heart disease, and insulin resistance (a precursor to type II diabetes) as adults were found to be more likely to be below average size at birth, and thin at 2 years of age. Their body mass index (BMI) also increased faster than other children's between then and 11 years of age. (ie, they put on weight rapidly).  This relationship held true even if the child's absolute BMI was still within the healthiest range.
Yet another reason to be monitoring the BMI of all our children regularly from an early age.  Picking up an excessive rate of BMI increase is important not just in those who are already overweight or obese.

16 April 2006: Obesity surgery being considered for teenagers.

Doctors from the Australasian Society of Paediatric Surgeons are drawing up guidelines for dealing with obese children and teenagers who may benefit from an operation to help control their obesity.  A New Zealand doctor experienced in this type of surgery has raised concerns about going down this pathway.  Read this article from The Sunday Star Times: Call for tax-cash for kids' obesity ops.

15 April 2006: Chocolate eggs okay as an Easter treat.

Fight the Obesity Epidemic spokeswoman, Dr Robyn Toomath, says that chocolate at Easter should not be a problem in managing weight.  The problem comes when treat foods become everyday foods.  Read this article from The New Zealand Herald: Easter eggs okay by fat police.

15 April 2006:'Fat' gene discovered.

Scientists have found that one in 10 people are driven to overeat by a genetic mutation.  However, while this may lead to options for future therapy for obesity, at present healthy eating and regular physical activity remain key to weight control.  Read this article from The Australian: 'Fat' gene discovery is hailed.

9 April 2006: Carseats no longer big enough for kids that need them.

New research presented in the medical journal Pediatrics has found that children are becoming too big to fit recommended size restrictions for carseats.

8 April 2006: Do people understand what the term "obesity" really means?

How people perceive the term "obesity" is brought into question by new research from the United States.

Read this article in The New Zealand Herald: Obese or not obese?  that's quite a question.

20 March 2006: It's OK to weigh, research finds.

A new article in the Medical Journal of Australia has shown the importance of weighing and measuring children so that parents can have objective feedback about their child's weight status.  Parents generally have great difficulty recognising when their children are overweight, the researchers concluded.  Read this article in The Age March 20 2006:  Chubby or obese? it's all in a mother's eye.

Article created: April 2, 2006.  Last modified: April 17, 2006