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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffChildhood obesity is a serious medical condition that affects children and adolescents. It occurs when a child is well above the normal weight for his or her age and height. Childhood obesity is particularly troubling because the extra pounds often start children on the path to health problems that were once confined to adults, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Childhood obesity can also lead to poor self-esteem and depression.
One of the best strategies to reduce childhood obesity is to improve the diet and exercise habits of your entire family. Treating and preventing childhood obesity helps protect the health of your child now and in the future.
- About BMI for children and teens. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/childrens_BMI/about_childrens_BMI.html. Accessed Feb. 2, 2010.
- Flegal KM, et al. Characterizing extreme values of body mass index-for-age by using the 2000 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth charts. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2009;90:1314.
- Ford ES, et al. Concentrations of low density lipoprotein cholesterol and total cholesterol among children and adolescents in the United States. Circulation. 2009;119:1108.
- The fourth report on the diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of high blood pressure in children and adolescents. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/heart/hbp/hbp_ped.pdf. Accessed Feb. 2, 2010.
- Barlow SE, et al. Expert committee recommendations regarding the prevention, assessment and treatment of child and adolescent overweight and obesity: Summary report. Pediatics 2007;120:S164.
- Spear BA, et al. Recommendations for treatment of child and adolescent overweight and obesity. Pediatrics. 2007;120:S254.
- Expert committee recommendations on the assessment, prevention, and treatment of child and adolescent overweight and obesity. American Medical Association. http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/mm/433/ped_obesity_recs.pdf. Accessed Feb. 2, 2010.
- Schilling PL, et al. National trends in adolescent bariatric surgical procedures and implications for surgical centers of excellence. Journal of the American College of Surgeons. 2008;206:1.
- Dunican KC, et al. Pharmacotherapeutic options for overweight adolescents. Annals of Pharmacotherapy. 2007;41:1445.
- Woo T. Pharmacotherapy and surgery treatment for the severely obese adolescent. Journal of Pediatric Health Care. 2009;23:206.
- Meridia (prescribing information). Abbott Park, Ill.: Abbott Laboratories; 2010. http://www.rxabbott.com/pdf/meridia.pdf. Accessed Feb. 5, 2010.
- Xenical (prescribing information). Nutley, NJ.: Roche Pharmaceuticals; 2008. http://www.gene.com/gene/products/information/xenical/pdf/pi.pdf. Accessed Feb. 5, 2010.
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