Preventing Childhood Obesity

Preventing Childhood Obesity

Author: Institute of Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2005-01-31

Total Pages: 435

ISBN-13: 0309133408

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Children's health has made tremendous strides over the past century. In general, life expectancy has increased by more than thirty years since 1900 and much of this improvement is due to the reduction of infant and early childhood mortality. Given this trajectory toward a healthier childhood, we begin the 21st-century with a shocking developmentâ€"an epidemic of obesity in children and youth. The increased number of obese children throughout the U.S. during the past 25 years has led policymakers to rank it as one of the most critical public health threats of the 21st-century. Preventing Childhood Obesity provides a broad-based examination of the nature, extent, and consequences of obesity in U.S. children and youth, including the social, environmental, medical, and dietary factors responsible for its increased prevalence. The book also offers a prevention-oriented action plan that identifies the most promising array of short-term and longer-term interventions, as well as recommendations for the roles and responsibilities of numerous stakeholders in various sectors of society to reduce its future occurrence. Preventing Childhood Obesity explores the underlying causes of this serious health problem and the actions needed to initiate, support, and sustain the societal and lifestyle changes that can reverse the trend among our children and youth.


Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity

Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2010-01-10

Total Pages: 107

ISBN-13: 0309139279

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The prevalence of childhood obesity is so high in the United States that it may reduce the life expectancy of today's generation of children. While parents and other adult caregivers play a fundamental role in teaching children about healthy behaviors, even the most positive efforts can be undermined by local environments that are poorly suited to supporting healthy behaviors. For example, many communities lack ready sources of healthy food choices, such as supermarkets and grocery stores. Or they may not provide safe places for children to walk or play. In such communities, even the most motivated child or adolescent may find it difficult to act in healthy ways. Local governments-with jurisdiction over many aspects of land use, food marketing, community planning, transportation, health and nutrition programs, and other community issues-are ideally positioned to promote behaviors that will help children and adolescents reach and maintain healthy weights. Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity presents a number of recommendations that touch on the vital role of government actions on all levels-federal, state, and local-in childhood obesity prevention. The book offers healthy eating and physical activity strategies for local governments to consider, making it an excellent resource for mayors, managers, commissioners, council members, county board members, and administrators.


Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity

Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity

Author: Institute of Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2007-03-22

Total Pages: 495

ISBN-13: 0309102081

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The remarkable increase in the prevalence of obesity among children and youth in the United States over a relatively short timespan represents one of the defining public health challenges of the 21st century. The country is beginning to recognize childhood obesity as a major public health epidemic that will incur substantial costs to the nation. However, the current level of investment by the public and private sectors still does not match the extent of the problem. There is a substantial underinvestment of resources to adequately address the scope of this obesity crisis. At this early phase in addressing the epidemic, actions have begun on a number of levels to improve the dietary patterns and to increase the physical activity levels of young people. Schools, corporations, youth-related organizations, families, communities, foundations, and government agencies are working to implement a variety of policy changes, new programs, and other interventions. These efforts, however, generally remain fragmented and small in scale. Moreover, the lack of systematic monitoring and evaluation of interventions have hindered the development of an evidence base to identify, apply, and disseminate lessons learned and to support promising efforts to prevent childhood obesity. Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity: How Do We Measure Up? examines the progress made by obesity prevention initiatives in the United States from 2004 to 2006. This book emphasizes a call to action for key stakeholders and sectors to commit to and demonstrate leadership in childhood obesity prevention, evaluates all policies and programs, monitors their progress, and encourages stakeholders to widely disseminate promising practices. This book will be of interest to federal, state, and local government agencies; educators and schools; public health and health care professionals; private-sector companies and industry trade groups; media; parents; and those involved in implementing community-based programs and consumer advocacy.


Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Policies

Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Policies

Author: Institute of Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2011-10-31

Total Pages: 202

ISBN-13: 0309210283

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Childhood obesity is a serious health problem that has adverse and long-lasting consequences for individuals, families, and communities. The magnitude of the problem has increased dramatically during the last three decades and, despite some indications of a plateau in this growth, the numbers remain stubbornly high. Efforts to prevent childhood obesity to date have focused largely on school-aged children, with relatively little attention to children under age 5. However, there is a growing awareness that efforts to prevent childhood obesity must begin before children ever enter the school system. Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Policies reviews factors related to overweight and obese children from birth to age 5, with a focus on nutrition, physical activity, and sedentary behavior, and recommends policies that can alter children's environments to promote the maintenance of healthy weight. Because the first years of life are important to health and well-being throughout the life span, preventing obesity in infants and young children can contribute to reversing the epidemic of obesity in children and adults. The book recommends that health care providers make parents aware of their child's excess weight early. It also suggests that parents and child care providers keep children active throughout the day, provide them with healthy diets, limit screen time, and ensure children get adequate sleep. In addition to providing comprehensive solutions to tackle the problem of obesity in infants and young children, Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Policies identifies potential actions that could be taken to implement those recommendations. The recommendations can inform the decisions of state and local child care regulators, child care providers, health care providers, directors of federal and local child care and nutrition programs, and government officials at all levels.


Preventing Childhood Obesity in Early Care and Education Programs

Preventing Childhood Obesity in Early Care and Education Programs

Author: American Academy of Pediatrics

Publisher:

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781581107142

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"All-new set of national standards describing evidence-based best practices in nutrition, physical activity, and screen time for early care and education programs. The standards are for all types of early care and education settings--centers and family child care homes."--Back cover


Global Perspectives on Childhood Obesity

Global Perspectives on Childhood Obesity

Author: Debasis Bagchi

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2010-10-12

Total Pages: 537

ISBN-13: 008096172X

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Understanding the complex factors contributing to the growing childhood obesity epidemic is vital not only for the improved health of the world's future generations, but for the healthcare system. The impact of childhood obesity reaches beyond the individual family and into the public arenas of social systems and government policy and programs. Global Perspectives on Childhood Obesity explores these with an approach that considers the current state of childhood obesity around the world as well as future projections, the most highly cited factors contributing to childhood obesity, what it means for the future both for children and society, and suggestions for steps to address and potentially prevent childhood obesity. - This book will cover the multi-faceted factors contributing to the rapidly growing childhood obesity epidemic - The underlying causes and current status of rapidly growing obesity epidemic in children in the global scenario will be discussed - The strategies for childhood obesity prevention and treatment such as physical activity and exercise, personalized nutrition plans and school and community involvement will be presented


Obesity Prevention for Children

Obesity Prevention for Children

Author: Alvin Eden, M.D.

Publisher: Hatherleigh Press

Published: 2016-11-15

Total Pages: 211

ISBN-13: 1578266505

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The Definitive Program for Maintaining Healthy Weight for Children Obesity Prevention for Children is the definitive guide for parents and caregivers to put their children on the path to a happy and a healthy life, protected against childhood and adult obesity. Written by Dr. Alvin N. Eden, a well-known pediatrician and authority on childhood nutrition and obesity together with expertly crafted recipes and meal plans provided by Sari Greaves, Obesity Prevention for Children is a practical and authoritative resource for parents and caregivers. A child’s early years are critical. Both in terms of forming lifelong healthy habits and proactive mindsets, the decisions that parents make for their children today will continue to shape them for the rest of their lives. By focusing on these early years, Obesity Prevention for Children puts the knowledge in your hands—the power to positively affect your children’s health and well-being for years to come.


Weighing the Options

Weighing the Options

Author: Paul R. Thomas

Publisher: National Academies

Published: 1995-03-01

Total Pages: 44

ISBN-13:

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This volume presents criteria for evaluating treatment programs for obesity and explores what these criteria mean--to health care providers, program designers, researchers, and even overweight people seeking help. Discusses information necessary to make wise program choices and evaluations; examines how client demographics and characteristics--including health status, knowledge of weight-loss issues, and attitude toward weight and body image--affect these programs.


Obesity in the Early Childhood Years

Obesity in the Early Childhood Years

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2016-05-23

Total Pages: 115

ISBN-13: 0309439248

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Among the many troubling aspects of the rising prevalence of obesity in the United States and elsewhere in recent years, the growth of early childhood overweight and obesity stands out. To explore what is known about effective and innovative interventions to counter obesity in young children, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Roundtable on Obesity Solutions held a workshop in October 2015. The workshop brought together many of the leading researchers on obesity in young children to describe the state of the science and potential solutions based on that research. Participants explored sustainable collaborations and new insights into the implementation of interventions and policies, particularly those related to nutrition and physical activity, for the treatment and prevention of obesity in young children. Obesity in the Early Childhood Years summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.


Legal Strategies in Childhood Obesity Prevention

Legal Strategies in Childhood Obesity Prevention

Author: Institute of Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2011-08-08

Total Pages: 104

ISBN-13: 0309210224

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Since 1980, childhood obesity rates have more than tripled in the United States. Recent data show that almost one-third of children over 2 years of age are already overweight or obese. While the prevalence of childhood obesity appears to have plateaued in recent years, the magnitude of the problem remains unsustainably high and represents an enormous public health concern. All options for addressing the childhood obesity epidemic must therefore be explored. In the United States, legal approaches have successfully reduced other threats to public health, such as the lack of passive restraints in automobiles and the use of tobacco. The question then arises of whether laws, regulations, and litigation can likewise be used to change practices and policies that contribute to obesity. On October 21, 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) held a workshop to bring together stakeholders to discuss the current and future legal strategies aimed at combating childhood obesity. Legal Strategies in Childhood Obesity Prevention summarizes the proceedings of that workshop. The report examines the challenges involved in implementing public health initiatives by using legal strategies to elicit change. It also discusses circumstances in which legal strategies are needed and effective. This workshop was created only to explore the boundaries of potential legal approaches to address childhood obesity, and therefore, does not contain recommendations for the use of such approaches.