Pediatric Obesity Guidelines Released

Abstract

IN LIGHT OF THE EVER-INCREASING prevalence of obesity in children, a task force formed by the Endocrine Society—an organization devoted to research on hormones and the clinical practice of endocrinology—has issued new clinical practice guidelines to help clinicians focus on prevention and early intervention in children—a strategy they hope will also help stem the rising tide of obesity in adults. “In kids 6 to 11 years old, obesity has increased 4-fold since 1970, and childhood obesity is a good predictor of adult obesity,” said Gilbert August, MD, professor emeritus of pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC. August was chair of the task force that developed the guidelines on pediatric obesity (available at http://jcem .endojournals.org/cgi/rapidpdf/jc .2007-2458v1). The document offers specific criteria for defining overweight and obesity in children and outlines strategies for averting and treating these conditions. “My impression is that physicians feel quite powerless to help obese children and families, so this guidance will be welcome,” said Marlene Schwartz, PhD, deputy director for the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University in New Haven, Conn, who was not involved with drafting the guidelines. Other similar guidelines have also been published by organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (http://www.aap.org/obesity /PolicyandGuidelines.htm). Standards for preventing and treating pediatric overweight and obesity are important for safeguarding both the health of children today and the health of adults in the future, said August. Children who are overweight or obese have an increased risk for developing a number of conditions, most notably dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, and psychosocial issues. “I don’t think that we appreciate many of the other problems—such as fatty liver and joint problems—that also can show up in adolescence,” August said. The task force outlined a number of recommendations for physicians, beginning with how to diagnose over-