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Summary
Obesity means having too much body fat. It is different from being overweight, which means weighing too much. Both terms mean that a person's weight is greater than what's considered healthy for his or her height. Children grow at different rates, so it isn't always easy to know when a child is obese or overweight. Ask your health care provider to check whether your child's weight and height are in a healthy range.
If a weight-loss program is necessary, involve the whole family in healthy habits so your child doesn't feel singled out. Encourage healthy eating by
- Serving more fruits and vegetables
- Buying fewer soft drinks and high-fat, high-calorie snack foods
- Making sure your child eats breakfast every day
- Eating fast food less often
- Not using food as a reward
Physical activity is also very important. Kids need about 60 minutes each day. It does not have to happen all at once. Several short periods of activity during the day are just as good.
NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Latest News
- Childhood Asthma May Encourage Obesity, Study Suggests (01/20/2017, HealthDay)
- Heavy Kids Fare Worse in One Way After Surgery (01/13/2017, HealthDay)
- Weight-Loss Surgery Offers Long-Term Benefit to Very Obese Teens (01/06/2017, HealthDay)
- More News on Obesity in Children
Diagnosis and Tests
- About BMI for Children and Teens (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- How Are Obesity and Overweight Diagnosed? (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
- Stature-for-Age and Weight-for-Age Percentiles: Boys, 2 to 20 Years (National Center for Health Statistics) - PDF Also in Spanish
- Stature-for-Age and Weight-for-Age Percentiles: Girls 2 to 20 Years (National Center for Health Statistics) - PDF Also in Spanish
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Balance Food and Activity (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
- Families Finding the Balance: A Parent Handbook (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
- Help Your Child Stay at a Healthy Weight (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion)
- Preventing Childhood Obesity: Tips for Parents and Caregivers (American Heart Association)
Treatments and Therapies
- Addressing Your Child's Weight at the Doctor (American Heart Association)
- Common Weight Loss Challenges (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
- Is Childhood Obesity an Issue in Your Home? (American Heart Association)
- Weight Control: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
- Weight Loss Surgery: An Option for Teens? (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
Living With
- Dietary Recommendations for Healthy Children (American Heart Association)
- Emotional Toll of Obesity (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
- Teasing and Bullying of Obese and Overweight Children: How Parents Can Help (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
Related Issues
- Childhood Obesity: Common Misconceptions (American Academy of Pediatrics)
- Is My Child's Appetite Normal? (Food and Nutrition Service) - PDF
- Pediatric Obesity and Ear, Nose, and Throat Disorders (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)
Specifics
- Childhood Obesity Causes & Consequences (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Obesity in Infants to Preschoolers (American Heart Association)
- Organic Causes of Weight Gain and Obesity (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
- Weighty Issues for Kids: Taking Aim at Childhood Obesity (National Institutes of Health)
Genetics
- Genetics Home Reference: proopiomelanocortin deficiency (National Library of Medicine)
Health Check Tools
- Body Mass Index (BMI) Charts (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)
- Body Mass Index: Calculator for Child and Teen (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
Statistics and Research
- CDC Vital Signs: Progress on Childhood Obesity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Childhood Obesity Facts (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- FastStats: Obesity and Overweight (National Center for Health Statistics)
- Perception of Weight Status in U.S. Children and Adolescents Aged 8-15 Years, 2005-2012 (National Center for Health Statistics)
Clinical Trials
Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: The prevalence of overweight, obesity and stunting in school children...
- Article: Strategies to improve the implementation of healthy eating, physical activity...
- Article: Cost effectiveness of a multi-component school-based physical activity intervention targeting...
- Obesity in Children -- see more articles
Reference Desk
- Glossary of Terms Related to Healthy Eating, Obesity, Physical Activity, and Weight Control (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Find an Expert
- Find a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
- KidsHealth (Nemours Foundation)
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- Weight-Control Information Network (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Children
- What "Being Overweight" Means (For Kids) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Teenagers
- Dealing With Feelings When You're Overweight (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Emotional Eating (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- When Being Overweight Is a Health Problem (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Patient Handouts
- Growth chart (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Obesity in children (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish