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Pediatricians
Enlisted to Combat Childhood Obesity Monday
August 4, 2003
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Pediatricians have a responsibility to identify and combat
the growing incidence of childhood obesity, with nearly one in seven U.S.
children afflicted, a doctor's group said on Monday. "At a minimum ... pediatricians
need to proactively discuss and promote healthy eating behaviors for children at
an early age," a policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatricians
said. Pediatricians can urge parents to
limit children's television watching to two hours a day, encourage exercise, and
promote dietary alternatives to high-fat snacks and soft drinks at home and at
school. The statement, published in the
group's journal, Pediatrics, suggested doctors plot their young patients' body
mass index yearly to watch for excessive weight gain, then consult with parents.
It said U.S. childhood obesity rates
have doubled in the past 20 years with more than 15 percent of those aged
between 6 and 19 considered obese. Obesity is even more prevalent among
disadvantaged children and even toddlers are developing the problem that fosters
higher rates of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and depression. In many cases, one or both parents
may be obese, and pediatricians should consider genetic factors that can
predispose children to gaining excessive amounts of weight. |