A Response to the Expert Committee's Recommendations on the Assessment, Prevention, and Treatment of Child and Adolescent Overweight and Obesity

Abstract

In 2007, the Expert Committee on the Assessment, Prevention, and Treatment of Child and Adolescent Overweight and Obesity released guidelines1 to help physicians prevent and treat childhood obesity. The American Academy of Pediatrics and other members of the Expert Committee should be commended for recognizing the gravity of the childhood obesity epidemic and for devoting resources in an attempt to address this problem. The guidelines are concrete, clear, and specific; provide quantifiable and measurable criteria by which they should be applied; and differentiate between the needs of normal weight, overweight, and obese children. In addition, the Expert Committee should be applauded for explicitly advocating for the regular and routine assessment of dietary patterns and physical activity levels of all children and not just those who are identified as being overweight or obese. Despite these strengths, the recommendations are insufficient in several ways. First, some of the recommendations may be too vague for physicians to apply in their practices. For instance, the recommendation that “all physicians should address weight management and lifestyle issues with all patients”1 should be accompanied or supplemented by specific examples of how weight management … Address correspondence to: Jennifer J. Bowdoin, MS, 85 Edgewood Avenue, Cranston, RI 02905. E-mail: jbowdoin{at}schoolph.umass.edu