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Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents
Knowledge Path

April 2008

Draft

Table of Contents

Introduction

Resources for Professionals

Resources for Families

Schools and After-school Programs

Child Care

Media Exposure

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Introduction

This knowledge path has been compiled by the Maternal and Child Health Library at Georgetown University. It offers a selection of current, high-quality resources about the prevention, identification, management, and treatment of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents in homes, schools, and communities. Separate sections list resources for families, schools and after-school programs, and child care settings. The final section presents resources about the impact of media use. The knowledge path will be updated periodically.

Please note: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) uses the term "overweight" to refer to children and adolescents ages 2-19 who have body mass indexes (BMIs) equal to or greater than the 95th percentile for children of the same age and gender (See CDC's Defining childhood overweight (2007)). In January 2007, the American Medical Association's Working Group on Managing Childhood Obesity released recommendations on the assessment, prevention, and treatment of child and adolescent overweight and obesity. With regard to classification, the group recommends that "(a) individuals from the ages of 2 to 18 years, with a BMI > 95th percentile for age and sex, or BMI exceeding 30 (whichever is smaller), should be considered obese; and (b) individuals with BMI > 85th percentile, but < 95th percentile for age and sex, should be considered overweight, and this term replaces "at risk of overweight." However, the terms "overweight" and "obesity" are frequently used interchangeably in the literature to describe this group of children and adolescents. Therefore, throughout this knowledge path, both terms are used frequently following the usage of the source being described.

Related topics: Please see our knowledge paths, Nutrition in Children and Adolescents and Physical activity: Children and adolescents.

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Resources for Professionals

Overview

See the Future of Children issue, Childhood obesity (2006). This publication addresses the high and rising rates of overweight and obesity among U.S. children and adolescents, presenting evidence on the multiple causes, consequences, and methods of dealing with the growing problem. Also discussed are the roles played by the built environment, schools, child care settings, and parents; issues that are unique to ethnic minority and children and adolescents from families with low-incomes; and how health professionals are handling the health problems associated with child and adolescent obesity when prevention efforts fail.

Web Sites: A-Z

Additional Electronic Publications

Databases

The databases listed below are excellent tools for identifying data, additional literature and research, and programs about overweight and obesity in children and adolescents, including incidence of overweight and obesity, prevention, current research on treatment options, and weight-loss programs. Many of the entries below contain tips on how to use the databases efficiently. Please note that databases vary in how terms should be entered; for example, some require quotation marks and others don't. Enter search phrases as shown in bold below.

Data
Literature and Research Databases
  • AGRICOLA (AGRICultural OnLine Access). Contains bibliographic information for agricultural literature including many child and adolescent nutrition publications from the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service; state child nutrition agencies; Nutrition Education and Training Program products; Team Nutrition grantees; cooperative extension program materials; and materials from associations, universities, and the private sector. AGRICOLA is organized into two data sets (books and journal articles). To identify books and articles on the topic, click on Keyword Search. Enter the terms, children adolescents and select "any of these" and "Subject" in the two fields to the right. Click "And". In the next row, enter obesity overweight. Click on "Set Limits" to narrow your search (e.g., add a publication date limit). Use the thesaurus to identify additional search terms for this search or related searches. AGRICOLA is a service of the National Agricultural Library (NAL).

  • ClinicalTrials.gov. Provides access to information about clinical research studies for a wide range of conditions, including overweight and obesity in children and adolescents. Included are a summary of the purpose of the study, recruiting status, criteria for patient participation, location of the trial, and contact information. To identify studies, select Advanced Search. Under Targeted Search, Conditions, enter obesity OR overweight. Scroll to Age Group and select Child (birth-17). Click on Search to get your results. ClinicalTrials.gov is a service of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is developed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM).