April 2008

Draft

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.

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

• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): Overweight and Obesity. Contains policy statements, program and reimbursement information, distance-learning opportunities, and other resources about overweight and obesity prevention and treatment. Recent resources include

  Assessment of child and adolescent overweight and obesity. (2007).

  Hot topics: Pediatric obesity. This online learning module presents recommendations about the prevention of childhood obesity through increased physical activity.

  New spin on childhood obesity. This online learning module focuses on pediatric overweight and obesity, with exploration of factors associated with the full range of excess weight.

  Pediatric obesity: Prevention, intervention, and treatment strategies for primary care. (2006).

• American Dietetic Association (ADA). Contains food and nutrition resources on topics that include healthy eating habits and weight management. Includes information about conferences, meetings, and professional development and an online directory of nutrition professionals. Recent resources include

  Childhood Overweight Evidence Analysis Project. Presents evidence-based research about the factors associated with childhood overweight and the interventions that are most effective in addressing childhood overweight.

  Counseling overweight and obese children and teens: Health care reference and client education handouts. (2008).

  Healthy Weight for Kids Initiative. Presents information and materials about this public-education campaign.

  Individual-, family-, school- and community-based interventions for pediatric overweight. (2006).

• American Heart Association (AHA): Childhood Obesity. Presents scientific statements and guidelines, statistics, journal articles, program information, and encyclopedia entries about overweight and obesity in children and adolescents and early onset of cardiovascular disease. Recent publications include

  Model competitive food legislation. (2007). This model legislation addresses healthy foods and beverages in schools.

  Overweight and obesity: Statistics. (2008).

  Youth and cardiovascular diseases: Statistics. (2008).

• American Medical Association (AMA): Obesity. Presents conference proceedings, professional-development materials, and recommendations about overweight and obesity in children and adolescents. Recent publications include

  Appendix: Expert committee recommendations on the assessment, prevention, and treatment of child and adolescent overweight and obesity. (2007).

• Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO): Obesity and Wellness. Offers resources to help state program administrators and policymakers address overweight and obesity in children, adolescents, and adults in schools, workplaces, and communities. Includes examples of steps states have taken to improve nutrition and physical activity and reduce overweight and obesity. Recent publications include

  Got a sweet tooth? Monitoring the prevalence of obesity and tooth decay in children. (2007).

  Obesity prevention and control: Position statement. (2006).

  State options for reducing overweight and obesity. (2006).

• Association of State and Territorial Public Health Nutrition Directors (ASTPHND). Offers news, meeting and professional-development information, and resources about public health nutrition. Resources about overweight and obesity include

  Blueprint for nutrition and physical activity: Cornerstones of a healthy lifestyle. (2006).

  Moving to the Future: Tools for Planning Nutrition and Physical Activity Programs. Presents resources to develop successful community programs that promote healthy eating and physical activity. Includes instructions for conducting a community assessment, writing objectives, developing a plan, and evaluating programs; forms, surveys, and worksheets that can be adapted to a community program; and discussion forums. Includes summaries and links to state and local plans that address nutrition, physical activity, and obesity prevention.

• Body Works: A Toolkit for Healthy Girls & Strong Women. Offers program information and recruitment, promotion, and training materials designed to help parents and caregivers of young adolescent girls (ages 9-13) improve family eating and activity habits to prevent overweight and obesity. Developed by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Office on Women's Health, the program uses a train-the-trainer model to distribute the toolkit through community-based organizations, state health agencies, nonprofit organizations, health clinics, hospitals, and health care systems.
  
  
• Center for Weight and Health (CWH). Contains program information, educational materials, publications, and conference information about overweight and obesity in children and adolescents. CWH is located at the University of California, Berkeley. Recent publications include

  Obesity in Latino communities: Prevention, principles and action. (2006).

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Contains the following resources and initiatives about overweight and obesity in children and adolescents:

  CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Provides data about overweight and obesity in the United States, including results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Resources include

  • CDC growth charts: United States (2000). Contains tools and background information for plotting the growth of infants, children, and adolescents through age 20. CDC and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) developed two sets of self-directed, interactive training modules for health professionals using the pediatric growth charts in clinical and public health settings. Topics for one set of modules include background information about the rationale for changes in the revised charts; using and interpreting the BMI-for-age charts; and recommendations to screen, assess, and manage overweight in children and adolescents. Topics for the second set of modules include accurate measuring (equipment and technique) and using the growth charts with various populations, such as adolescents and children with special health care needs.
    
    
  • Faststats A to Z: Overweight. (2006).
    
    
  • Prevalence of overweight among children and adolescents: United States, 2003-2004. (2007).

  CDC's Nutrition and Physical Activity Program: Childhood Overweight. Defines childhood overweight and describes the prevalence of overweight in children and adolescents, the factors associated with overweight, and related health consequences. Presents information about the BMI and links to the BMI calculator for children and adolescents. Also presents information about state-based nutrition and physical activity programs to prevent obesity and other chronic diseases and provides results from the Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System (PedNSS).

  Also see CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) and Nutrition for Everyone.

• Childhood Obesity: Assessment, Prevention, and Treatment. Presents an online curriculum about overweight and obesity in children and adolescents for health professionals who work with women, infants, children, and adolescents. The curriculum is presented by the Leadership, Education and Training (LET) Program in Maternal and Child Nutrition at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, with funding from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB).
  
  
• Children's Health Fund (CHF). Presents health-education materials about nutrition, physical activity, and weight management that are available in English and Spanish and produced in accordance with low-literacy writing and design conventions. Also offers journal articles, white papers, and other academic publications on health topics that include overweight and obesity in children and adolescents. CHF is committed to providing health care to the nation's most medically underserved children and their families.
  
  
• Children's Nutrition Research Center (CNRC). Presents research and training information, articles, an interactive healthy eating calculator, and an electronic newsletter on nutrition topics that include overweight and obesity in children and adolescents. CNRC is a cooperative venture between the Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS).
  
  
• Healthy People 2010. Offers information about this national health-promotion and disease-prevention initiative. It is coordinated by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP). Healthy People contains 467 objectives in 28 focus areas. Focus Area 19: Nutrition and Overweight addresses weight status and growth; food and nutrient consumption; iron deficiency and anemia; nutrition education in schools and work sites; nutrition counseling for medical conditions; and food security. Healthy People provides background information on the initiative; the complete text, Healthy People 2010: Understanding and improving health, 2nd ed. (2000) and Healthy People 2010: Midcourse review (2006); a list of the Healthy People partners and related sites; and other Healthy People publications. Also see Data2010 for data about the Healthy People 2010 nutrition and overweight objectives. See too the HP2010 Information Access Project for access to published literature related to these objectives.
  
  
• Institute of Medicine (IOM): Childhood Obesity Prevention. Presents information about the activities of this committee, which is composed of national leaders in public health, public policy, medicine, nutrition, physical activity, pediatrics, obesity prevention, social and behavioral sciences, biostatistics, and epidemiology to serve as a focal point for national and state-level policy discussions about childhood obesity prevention. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is the sponsor for the committee. Reports include

  Preventing childhood obesity: Health in the balance. (2004). This congressionally mandated study examines the nature, extent, and consequences of obesity in U.S. children and adolescents, including the social, environmental, and dietary factors responsible for its increased prevalence. The report also recommends specific actions for families, schools, industry, communities, and government to prevent obesity and promote a healthy weight. A report brief and fact sheet series accompany the report.

  Progress in preventing childhood obesity: How do we measure up? (2006). This report examines the progress made by obesity-prevention initiatives in the United States from 2004 to 2006. A report brief and fact sheets accompany the report.

  Also see a related IOM workshop summary, Joint U.S.-Mexico Workshop on Preventing Obesity in Children and Youth of Mexican Origin. (2007).

• Interdisciplinary Leadership Training in Overweight Prevention and Intervention for Children with Special Health Care Needs. Presents an online continuing education course about overweight prevention and intervention among children with special health care needs for health and education professionals. This course is presented by the Boling Center for Developmental Disabilities at the University of Tennessee with funding from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB).
  
  
• International Life Sciences Institute Center for Health Promotion (ILSI CHP). Describes its research and initiatives to promote healthful physical activity and nutrition and prevent and treat childhood obesity and overweight. ILSI CHP is a nonprofit research and education organization that seeks to enhance opportunities for individuals to achieve their full potential unencumbered by avoidable health problems. Recent publications include

  Clinician tips for managing pediatric overweight. (2006).

  General overview of physical and nutrition intervention programs, rev. ed. (2007).

  Preventing pediatric overweight. (2006).

• Maternal and Child Health Training Program: Nutrition Grantees Collaborative Web Site. Offers information about eight university-based maternal and child health (MCH) nutrition training programs. Presents information about grantee resources, meetings and conferences, and position announcements. A collection of resources focuses on pediatric obesity assessment, prevention, and intervention. The training program is part of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB).
  
  
• National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD): Obesity. Offers program summaries and links to resources to help states promote collaboration between the public and private sectors to make communities, workplaces, and schools healthier through obesity prevention and wellness promotion. NACDD provides a national forum focused on efforts to reduce the impact of chronic diseases and their risk factors on states and communities nationwide.
  
  
• National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP): Healthy Eating and Activity Together (HEAT). Presents an evidence-based clinical practice guideline and resource kit for this initiative to improve child health through culturally appropriate and strength-based interventions that build the family's ability to achieve the ideal balance between nutrition and physical activity to support optimal growth and wellness and prevent childhood overweight.
  
  
• National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality (NICHQ): Childhood Obesity. Presents a wealth of resources for improving the quality of care given by health professionals for the prevention of overweight in children and adolescents and the identification and management of children and adolescents who are overweight or at risk for overweight. NICHQ is dedicated to improving the quality of health care provided to children and adolescents. Initiatives and resources include

  Childhood Obesity Action Network (COAN). Presents meeting information and materials for this network of health professionals formed to share knowledge and successful practices to accelerate improvement in the prevention and treatment of child and adolescent overweight and obesity. COAN developed

  • Expert committee recommendations on the assessment, prevention, and treatment of child and adolescent overweight and obesity: An implementation guide from the Childhood Obesity Action Network. (2007). This guide defines three key steps to successfully implementing the recommendations.
    
    
• National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation (NIHCM). Contains program information and materials about public and private health care initiatives to combat child and adolescent overweight and obesity. NIHCM conducts research, policy analysis, and educational activities on a range of health care issues and fosters dialogue between the private health care industry and government to find workable solutions to health-system problems. Recent publications include

  Advancing obesity prevention and control. Lessons learned from a CDC-NIHCM leadership forum. (2006).

  Childhood obesity: Harnessing the power of public and private partnerships. (2007).

  Comprehensive approach to fighting childhood obesity: The North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund. (2007).

  Evidence base: How to prevent obesity and manage weight gain through increased physical activity and improved nutrition. (2006).

  Tackling childhood obesity through public-private collaboration. (2006).

• Office of the Surgeon General: Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity. Presents a report, press releases, fact sheets, and links to related Web sites about the prevalence of overweight and obesity among all age groups in the United States, the threat overweight and obesity poses to health, and actions that individuals at all levels of government and in the private sector can take to address the problem in their communities. The initiative, Healthy Youth for a Healthy Future, targets overweight and obesity prevention and promotes healthy lifestyles for children and adolescents.
  
  
• Public Health Nutrition for the 21st Century. Presents six online modules about public health nutrition practice, placing particular emphasis on addressing Healthy People 2010 objectives relevant to MCH and nutrition. One module addresses obesity among children and adults. The program is produced by the University of North Carolina School of Public Health.
  
  
• RAND Corporation: Obesity in America. Presents research and commentary about the problem of overweight and obesity among all populations in the United States. Examines aspects of the problem, such as neighborhood characteristics, food prices, food industry marketing, physical education instruction, health consequences, and academic performance. RAND is a nonprofit organization that conducts research and analysis on challenges facing the public, including health and health care. Recent publications include

  How neighborhoods can reduce the risk of obesity. (2007).

• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF): Childhood Obesity. Offers research and program information, data, program evaluations, project reports, and news summaries from RWJF and its grantees about preventing overweight and obesity among children and adolescents. Resources include

  Assessment of childhood and adolescent obesity in Arkansas. (2006).

  Associations between access to food stores and adolescent body mass index: Research highlight. (2007).

  Balance: A report on state action to promote nutrition, increase physical activity and prevent obesity, end of year 2006. (2006).

  Childhood Obesity Prevention Summit: Connecting Leaders to Support Healthy Children. Presents a Webcast of an October 2007 summit that brought together elected officials and other policy leaders from all levels of government to discuss innovative partnerships, promising practices, and research that can support their efforts to create healthier communities. Leaders shared the policy approaches they have taken to prevent childhood obesity, improve access to affordable healthy foods, increase opportunities for safe physical activity, and improve the social environments that shape how children perceive and relate to healthy eating and active living.

  Early assessment of environmental interventions to prevent childhood obesity. (2006).

  Effects of Title IX and sports participation on girls' physical ability and weight: Research highlight. (2007).

  F as in fat: How obesity policies are failing in America. (2007). This is the fourth in a series of annual reports that examine trends in obesity rates in the United States and policies to address the problem. The report also includes findings about potential strategies for dealing with obesity from two surveys. Accompanying the report is a collection of briefs containing state-specific obesity data and an update of obesity-related legislative action in states.

  Also see the RWJF-supported Childhood Obesity Prevention Committee.

• Steps to a HealthierUS Initiative. Contains program, conference, and grant information as well as reports, fact sheets, and data for this national initiative by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to improve the lives of Americans through innovative and effective community-based chronic-disease-prevention and health-promotion programs that target three major chronic diseases -- diabetes, obesity, and asthma -- and their underlying risk factors of physical inactivity, poor nutrition, and tobacco use. Resources include Small Step and Smallstep KIDS!
  
  
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Contains the following resources and initiatives about overweight and obesity in children and adolescents:

  USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP). Contains reports, journal articles, dietary-guidance materials, food plans, Web-based training, and symposium proceedings. Resources include

  • Dietary guidelines for Americans. Provides background materials and information about how to apply the guidelines, which emphasize healthy eating and physical activity to maintain a healthy weight. Links to the current Dietary guidelines for Americans, 6th ed. (2005) and accompanying material.

  USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS). Contains economic information and research on topics that include overweight and obesity. Recent publications include

  • Food and nutrition assistance programs and obesity: 1976 -2002. (2007).
    
    
  • Parental time, role strain, and children's fat intake and obesity-related outcomes. (2006).

  USDA's Food and Nutrition Information Center (FNIC). Provides databases and resource lists with links to reports, policy statements, Web sites, electronic discussion groups, and other information tools on a wide range of food and nutrition topics for health and education professionals. Presents a selection of resources about adolescent and childhood obesity. A recent resource list is

  • Childhood obesity: A resource list for educators and researchers. (2008).

  Also see, AGRICOLA, Eat Smart. Play Hard, MyPyramid Food Guidance System, Team Nutrition, and the USDA-funded Children's Nutrition Research Center (CNRC).

• Weight-Control Information Network (WIN). Offers publications and research information about nutrition, physical activity, and overweight and obesity. Publications are available in English and Spanish. WIN is an information service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).
  

  
  

Additional Electronic Publications

• American Council for Fitness and Nutrition (ACFN). 2006. Successful grassroots health and wellness programs: Exploring common traits. Washington, DC: American Council for Fitness and Nutrition (ACFN). This report examines commonalties among high-quality community programs that promote health and wellness.
  
  
• Cawley J, Liu F. 2007. Maternal employment and childhood obesity: A search for mechanisms in time use data. Ann Arbor, MI: National Poverty Center. This paper examines the mechanisms for the correlation between maternal employment and an increased risk of childhood obesity.
  
  
• Donahue EH, Grisso JA, Orleans CT, Paxson C. 2006. Childhood obesity. Princeton, NJ: Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs; Washington, DC: Brookings Institution. (The future of children; v. 16, no. 1; spring 2006). This publication addresses the high and rising rates of overweight and obesity among U.S. children, 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. A policy brief, Fighting obesity in the public schools (2006), accompanies the publication. A forum to examine federal, state, and local initiatives to address childhood obesity was held in conjunction with the publication's release.
  
  
• Garasky S, Stewart SD, Gundersen C, Lohman BJ, Eisenmann JC. 2008. Food insecurity, economic stressors, and childhood overweight. Ann Arbor, MI: National Poverty Center. This paper examines whether economic stressors and food insecurity influence childhood overweight.
  
  
• Government Accountability Office (GAO). 2006. Childhood obesity: Factors affecting physical activity. Washington, DC: Government Accountability Office. This briefing presents findings from a literature review to identify factors affecting rates of physical activity for children and adolescents. The factors presented in the articles are discussed in three groups: (1) demographic factors, (2) cognitive and behavioral factors, and (3) community factors.
  
  
• Guyer B, Ma S, Grason H, Frick K, Perry D, Wigton A, McIntosh J. 2008. Investments to promote children's health: A systematic literature review and economic analysis of interventions in the preschool period. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. This paper examines research on short- and long-term economic and health impacts of health-promotion and disease-prevention interventions on four health problems of particular concern for infants and children from birth to age 5, as well as during the prenatal period. One of the health problems addressed is obesity. An issue brief presents highlights of the report.
  
  
• Liu J, Bennett KJ, Harun N, Zheng X, Probst JC, Pate RR. 2007. Overweight and physical inactivity among rural children aged 10-17: A national and state portrait. Columbia, SC: South Carolina Rural Health Research Center. This report examines the prevalence of overweight and obesity among rural children and adolescents ages 10-17 as compared to children living in urban areas. The report also presents information about behaviors that influence weight.
  
  
• Maeshiro R. 2007. Prevention and treatment of overweight and obesity: Medical school objectives project. Washington, DC: Association of American Medical Colleges. This report contains expert recommendations on the learning objectives and educational experiences needed in medical school curricula to better address overweight and obesity prevention and treatment.
  
  
• Marder W, Chang S. 2006. Childhood obesity: Costs, treatment patterns, disparities in care, and prevalent medical conditions. Ann Arbor, MI: Thomson Medstat. This research brief presents key findings from an analysis of data on the prevalence, cost, and treatment of obesity among children covered by Medicaid compared to those covered by private health insurance.
  
  
• Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). 2006. Overweight and physical activity among children: A portrait of states and the nation 2005. Rockville, MD: Maternal and Child Health Bureau. This chartbook presents national- and state-level data on the prevalence of overweight in children and adolescents (ages 10-17) within the context of family structure, poverty level, parental health and habits, and community surroundings.
  
  
• Mathieson A, Koller T. 2006. Addressing the socioeconomic determinants of healthy eating habits and physical activity levels among adolescents. Copenhagen, Denmark: World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. This report highlights case studies and survey data from the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children study presented at a forum about adolescent overweight and obesity in Europe. The report also summarizes the forum's main conclusions on what the issues are and how policymakers can tackle them.
  
  
• McPhillips-Tangum C, Torghele K, Saarlas K, Renahan-White A. 2006. Assessment of childhood obesity information needs: Findings from stakeholder interviews. Decatur, GA: Public Health Informatics Institute. This document reports on an effort to identify and assess stakeholder information needs related to childhood-obesity programs and activities conducted by stakeholders in the federal government, state government, and education; parents and families; health professionals and organizations; industry; media; community and nonprofit organizations; and researchers.
  
  
• Monheit AC, Vistnes JP, Rogowski JA. 2007. Overweight in adolescents: Implications for health expenditures. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research. This paper examines factors that contribute to the variation in adolescent body weight, the likelihood of being overweight, and whether overweight adolescents incur greater health care expenditures compared to those of normal weight.
  
  
• NGA's Center for Best Practices. 2008. Healthy kids, healthy America. Washington, DC: National Governors Association (NGA). This press release announces grants to 15 states to establish programs aimed at preventing childhood obesity through policy and environmental change and to conduct a statewide scan of efforts to address childhood obesity. One-page project summaries (one for each state) accompany the press release.
  
  
• Patrick K, Spear B, Holt K, Sofka D, eds. 2001. Bright Futures in practice: Physical activity. Arlington, VA: National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health (NCEMCH). This book presents physical activity guidelines and tools emphasizing health promotion, disease prevention, and early recognition of physical activity issues and concerns related to infants, children, and adolescents. A chapter is devoted to obesity.
  
  
• Story M, Holt K, Sofka D, eds. 2002. Bright Futures in practice: Nutrition, 2nd ed. Arlington, VA: National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health (NCEMCH). This book presents nutrition guidelines and tools emphasizing health promotion, disease prevention, and early recognition of nutrition issues and concerns related to infants, children, and adolescents. A chapter is devoted to obesity. Bright Futures in practice: Nutrition pocket guide (2002) is a quick reference tool for the comprehensive nutrition practice guide. The pocket guide highlights key aspects of each developmental period and includes tools such as indicators of nutrition risk and tips for promoting food safety. Also see Bright Futures nutrition: Family fact sheets (2002).
  
  
• Wall Street Journal Online, Harris Interactive. 2007. WSJ.com/Harris Interactive survey finds that most adults believe parents, schools and food industry can make differences in battling childhood obesity. Rochester, NY: Harris Interactive. This press release presents results of an online survey of U.S. adults conducted by Harris Interactive in August 2007 for The Wall Street Journal Online's Health Industry Edition.
  
  
• Wilensky S, Whittington R, Rosenbaum S. 2006. Strategies for improving access to comprehensive obesity prevention and treatment services for Medicaid-enrolled children. Washington, DC: George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. This policy brief examines the extent to which state programs use the Medicaid Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit to address and finance obesity-related services that advance best-practice standards in obesity prevention, treatment, and management in children and adolescents.
  

  
  

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

• Child Trends DataBank. Reports on national trends and research on over 80 key indicators of child and adolescent well-being, and offers information about the types of programs and interventions that may influence particular outcomes. Child Trends is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization providing research and data to inform decision-making that affects children and adolescents. Recent analyses about overweight and obesity in children and adolescents include

  Assessing the diet, exercise, body image, and weight of adolescents: A guide for out-of-school time program practitioners. (2007).

  Food insecurity and overweight among infants and toddlers: New insights into a troubling linkage. (2007).

• Data2010: The Healthy People 2010 Database. Contains the most recent monitoring data for tracking Healthy People 2010. To obtain data on the topic, click on the field, Data by Focus Area. Under the field, Select a Focus Area, choose 19 - Nutrition and Overweight from the pop-up menu. Next, click on the button for Include Related Objectives From Other Focus Areas in the Table. Click on the Submit button. This data set is provided by the National Center for Health Statistics via CDC Wonder.
  
  
• National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Provides data sets, survey results, data briefs, and other documentation about the health and nutrition of the U.S. population. NHANES is a product of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
  
  
• Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System (PedNSS). Monitors the nutritional status of children from birth to age 5 who are enrolled in federally funded MCH programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), EPSDT, the Title V Maternal and Child Health Program, and Head Start. Data on birthweight, short stature, underweight, overweight, anemia, and breastfeeding are collected for children who visit public health clinics for routine care, nutrition education, and supplemental foods. PedNSS is administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
  
  
• Title V Information System (Title V IS). Contains data from annual Title V Block Grant applications and reports submitted by all 59 U.S. states and jurisdictions. To learn about states' efforts to address overweight and obesity in children and adolescents, conduct two searches. Select Measurement and Indicator Data and go to the State Data section. First, select State Priority Needs Keyword Search and choose Keyword: Obesity and Population: Children (1 through 21). Click on Start Search to get your results. Next, go to Measurement and Indicator Data and select State Performance Measures. Click on Search by Keyword/Population. Select Keyword: Obesity and Population: Children (1 through 21). Click on Start Search to get your results. Title V IS is a service of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB).
  
  
• Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS): Youth Online. Provides comprehensive results from the YRBSS that can be viewed by location (United States, state/territory, or local) and health topic. Choose Dietary Behaviors and select a category under Weight to view data about overweight and obesity in children and adolescents. Categories can be compared online. Youth Online is a service of CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH).
  
  
• Also see the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS).
  

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).