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Report:
Kids Need Body-Mass Checkups Monday
August 4, 2003 By LINDSEY TANNER, AP
Medical Writer CHICAGO - From the seemingly slim to
the truly chubby, all children should have their body-mass index measures
evaluated yearly as part of efforts to identify and prevent obesity, the
American Academy of Pediatrics says. Prompted by worrisome data on the
prevalence of obesity and obesity-related disorders in children, the academy has
developed its first-ever policy statement dealing solely with identifying and
preventing the problem. It's been suggested that
obesity-related health costs "may outstrip the costs of cigarette smoking,
so I don't think we have a choice but to find ways to deal with it," said
Dr. Marc Jacobson, a pediatrician at New York City's Schneider's Children's
Hospital and co-author of the new policy. "It's not just pediatricians who
can solve this, it's going to be the whole society." While most pediatricians already
track children's height and weight, the new policy asks doctors to keep obesity
prevention in mind as they're doing so and to specifically measure body-mass
index, a height-to-weight ratio. This will help them spot unusually rapid growth
that might signal an increased risk of obesity, Jacobson said. In adults, a BMI of 30 or higher is
considered obese but in youngsters the index depends on gender and age. Recent data indicate that about 15
percent of U.S. youngsters aged 6 through 19 are severely overweight or obese
based on their body-mass index, or BMI — a doubling of the rate over the past
two decades. Studies also have shown increasing rates in children of
obesity-related diseases including adult-onset diabetes. In addition to yearly BMI checks, the
new policy encourages pediatricians to: ·
identify and track patients at increased risk because of family
history, ethnic or cultural factors ·
routinely encourage physical activity and promote the academy's
existing recommended limit of no more than two hours of television or video
viewing daily ·
encourage parents or caregivers to promote healthy eating ·
encourage breast-feeding, since studies have shown it may reduce
children's risk of becoming overweight or obese ·
actively promote anti-obesity programs in their communities,
including discouraging the sale of sugary sodas at schools and encouraging
physical education programs that focus on personal fitness, not just team
sports. The new policy is published in the
August issue of Pediatrics, the academy's monthly medical journal. It recommends that pediatricians
monitor all children for weight problems, even those who appear fit, because
many may face an increased risk of obesity due to family history or environment,
Jacobson said. The policy also aims to avoid
stigmatizing youngsters who already are overweight or obese, and to focus less
on labeling them than on advocating healthful activities for all kids, he said. "I don't want people to go out
there and say, 'You're fat,'" Jacobson said. "It's important ... that
we talk to them more about their habits, about eating right ... and getting the
right amount of exercise." Chicago pediatrician Dr. Rebecca
Unger praised the new policy. "It's great that the AAP is
saying this because we (pediatricians) have a unique opportunity to watch these
kids from when they're born through when they go to college," Unger said.
"We can look at their pattern of growth, we know their family
history." Unger says her private-practice
patients include several overweight children and that she frequently sees
youngsters who "may be heading toward a weight problem." "It is very important for health
care providers to start identifying children at risk early because it's much
easier" to make small but healthy changes in eating and exercise habits
than to treat obesity, she said. |