This is the current release of the guideline.

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Policies are reviewed every 3 years by the authoring body, at which time a recommendation is made that the policy be retired, revised, or reaffirmed without change. Until the Board of Directors approves a revision or reaffirmation, or retires a statement, the current policy remains in effect.

Childhood obesity

Prevention
Risk Assessment

Family Practice
Pediatrics
Preventive Medicine

Health Care Providers
Physicians

To propose strategies to foster prevention and early identification of overweight and obesity in children

Children and adolescents

Health Supervision

1. Assessing genetic, environmental, or combination risk factors (family history, birth weight, socioeconomic, ethnic, and other factors)
2. Calculating body mass index (BMI) once a year
3. Promoting healthy eating patterns and breastfeeding, encouraging physical activity, and limiting television and video time
4. Recognizing and monitoring changes in obesity-associated risk factors for adult chronic disease

Advocacy

1. Supporting individuals who help youth to maintain healthy lifestyle
2. Encouraging organizations responsible for health care and health care financing to provide coverage for effective obesity prevention and treatment strategies

Not stated

Searches of Electronic Databases

Not stated

Not stated

Not stated

Not applicable

Review

Not stated

Expert Consensus

Not stated

Not applicable

A formal cost analysis was not performed and published cost analyses were not reviewed.

Peer Review

Not stated

1. Health supervision
   1. Identify and track patients at risk by virtue of family history, birth weight, or socioeconomic, ethnic, cultural, or environmental factors.
   2. Calculate and plot body mass index (BMI) once a year in all children and adolescents.
   3. Use change in body mass index to identify rate of excessive weight gain relative to linear growth.
   4. Encourage, support, and protect breastfeeding.
   5. Encourage parents and caregivers to promote healthy eating patterns by offering nutritious snacks, such as vegetables and fruits, low-fat dairy foods, and whole grains; encouraging children's autonomy in self-regulation of food intake and setting appropriate limits on choices; and modeling healthy food choices.
   6. Routinely promote physical activity, including unstructured play at home, in school, in childcare settings, and throughout the community.
   7. Recommend limitation of television and video time to a maximum of 2 hours per day.
   8. Recognize and monitor changes in obesity-associated risk factors for adult chronic disease, such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, hyperinsulinemia, impaired glucose tolerance, and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
2. Advocacy
   1. Help parents, teachers, coaches, and others who influence youth to discuss health habits, not body habitus, as part of their efforts to control overweight and obesity.
   2. Enlist policy makers from local, state, and national organizations and schools to support a healthful lifestyle for all children, including proper diet and adequate opportunity for regular physical activity.
   3. Encourage organizations that are responsible for health care and health care financing to provide coverage for effective obesity prevention and treatment strategies.
   4. Encourage public and private sources to direct funding toward research into effective strategies to prevent overweight and obesity and to maximize limited family and community resources to achieve healthful outcomes for youth.
   5. Support and advocate for social marketing intended to promote healthful food choices and increased physical activity.

None provided

The type of evidence supporting each recommendation is not specifically stated.

Appropriate strategies for prevention of pediatric overweight and obesity

Not stated

The guidance in this report does not indicate an exclusive course of treatment or serve as a standard of medical care. Variations, taking into account individual circumstances, may be appropriate.

An implementation strategy was not provided.

Staying Healthy

Effectiveness
Patient-centeredness

Not applicable: The guideline was not adapted from another source.

2003 Aug

American Academy of Pediatrics - Medical Specialty Society

American Academy of Pediatrics

Committee on Nutrition

Committee on Nutrition, 2002-2003: *Nancy F. Krebs, MD, Chairperson; Robert D. Baker, Jr, MD, PhD; Frank R. Greer, MD; Melvin B. Heyman, MD; Tom Jaksic, MD, PhD; Fima Lifshitz, MD

Past Committee Member: *Marc S. Jacobson, MD

Liaisons: Donna Blum-Kemelor, MS, RD, United States Department of Agriculture; Margaret P. Boland, MD, Canadian Paediatric Society; William Dietz, MD, PhD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Van S. Hubbard, MD, PhD, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Elizabeth Yetley, PhD, United States Food and Drug Administration

Staff: Pamela Kanda, MPH

*Lead authors

Not stated

This is the current release of the guideline.

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Policies are reviewed every 3 years by the authoring body, at which time a recommendation is made that the policy be retired, revised, or reaffirmed without change. Until the Board of Directors approves a revision or reaffirmation, or retires a statement, the current policy remains in effect.

None available

None available

This NGC summary was completed by ECRI on February 19, 2004. The information was verified by the guideline developer on March 29, 2004.

This NGC summary is based on the original guideline, which is subject to the guideline developer's copyright restrictions. Please contact the Permissions Editor, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), 141 Northwest Point Blvd, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007.