Healthier School Meals Program Led to Less Overweight Kids: Study

• Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
• February 14, 2023
• Full Page

More than a decade ago, the Obama administration passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 as a way to counter the toll the obesity epidemic was taking on children's health.

The goal was to markedly improve the nutritional value of federal food programs that regul...

Leading Pediatricians' Group Calls for More Aggressive Treatment of Childhood Obesity

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• January 9, 2023
• Full Page

A leading pediatricians' group has issued new guidelines on treating obesity in children and teens that, for the first time, call for early, aggressive intervention that can include weight-loss drugs and surgery.

"There is no evidence that 'watchful waiting' or delayed t...

Words Can Wound When Parents Talk to Kids About Obesity

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• November 21, 2022
• Full Page

With U.S. health officials calling childhood obesity a public health crisis, conversations about weight are important. But what you say to your kids can be challenging, and even counterproductive, a new study found.

"Body weight is a sensitive issue and the way we talk a...

Binge Eating Disorder Looks Different in Brains of Boys and Girls

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• November 14, 2022
• Full Page

The brains of girls and boys who have binge eating disorder show key differences, according to a new study.

That's an important finding, researchers say, because both gender...

Sleep-Deprived Kids Will Snack More: Study

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• October 24, 2022
• Full Page

Experts studying kids' sleep and eating habits have learned more about a potential reason for childhood obesity.

Kids who are deprived of sleep tend to eat more calories the next day, researchers found. And some of those extra calories come from less-healthy, sugar-laden...

Global Warming Will Mean More Unfit, Unhealthy Kids Worldwide: Study

• HealthDay Reporter
• By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• August 8, 2022
• Full Page

Children are not as physically fit as their parents were when they were kids, and this will likely harm them as the Earth warms, new research claims.

The findings are based on a comprehensive review of more ...

Obesity Rates Continue to Climb Among U.S. Kids, Teens

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• July 25, 2022
• Full Page

For the first time ever, more than 1 in 5 American kids is obese.

From 2011 to 2012 and again from 2017 to 2020, rates of obesity rose for kids between 2 and 5 years of age as well as 12- to 19-year-olds, a new analysis of nationwide health survey data shows. And the upt...

About 1 in 7 U.S. Kindergarten Kids Now Obese

• Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
• July 6, 2022
• Full Page

Despite reports that rates of childhood obesity are decreasing, kids seem to be packing on pounds at younger ages.

In 1998, just under 73% of children entering kindergarten in 1998 had a normal body mass index (BMI), while 15.1% were overweight, and 12% were obese.

Most Day Care Programs Don't Give Kids Enough Exercise

• Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
• May 18, 2022
• Full Page

Rates of childhood obesity in the United States are soaring, and new research suggests child care programs may be part of the problem.

Most tots in these programs aren't getting nearly enough exercise.

National guidance for child care programs calls for providing a...

Obesity May Be Affecting Heart Health in Kids as Young as 6

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• May 4, 2022
• Full Page

As early as age 6, children who carry extra weight could be headed down a path toward future diabetes or heart disease, a new study suggests.

The study, of nearly...

Emotional Eating in Kids: How Much of It Is Mom's Fault?

• HealthDay Reporter
• By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter
• April 30, 2022
• Full Page

If a mother reaches for cakes, chocolates or other snacks when she's feeling down, her children could become emotional eaters as well.

Kids' chances of becoming emotional eaters are shaped by both their natural eating tendencies and their parent's influence, according to...

Many Overweight Kids Already Have Hardened Arteries, Diabetes

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• December 20, 2021
• Full Page

If your children struggle with their weight, new research suggests they may also suffer from diseases once seen only in adults.

Stiffening of the arteries, which can lead to early heart attacks and strokes, and type 2 diabetes were found in many of the more than 600 obes...

Pandemic Curbed Kids' Efforts to Lose Excess Weight

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• November 19, 2021
• Full Page

A new study is highlighting yet another consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic: It has likely made it even harder for kids with obesity to manage their weight.

The findings, researchers sai...

Almost 1 in Every 3 College-Age Americans Are Now Obese

• HealthDay Reporter
• November 19, 2021
• Full Page

It's probably fair to say that most people know of the so-called "Freshman 15" -- the weight that college students are often said to gain when they're away from home for the first time.

But in recent decades, matters have gotten much worse in the United States. A new stu...

Good Sleep May Help Babies Avoid Obesity as They Grow

• HealthDay Reporter
• Cara Murez
• October 22, 2021
• Full Page

You've probably heard that getting better sleep can be good for your waistline. The same appears to be true for your baby.

Newborns who get more sleep and wake up less during the night are less likely to become overweight in infancy, according to a just-published study.<...

Weight Loss Surgery a Good Option for Severely Obese Kids: Study

• HealthDay Reporter
• Cara Murez
• September 28, 2021
• Full Page

Severely obese children who are unable to slim down should be eligible for weight loss surgery, a new study suggests.

The gastric sleeve procedure is safe and effective long-term, said a research team that followed participants as young as 5 for a decade.

"La...

Child Obesity Rose Sharply During Pandemic

• HealthDay Reporter
• Cara Murez
• September 17, 2021
• Full Page

Childhood obesity was a worrisome issue before the pandemic, and now it's alarmingly worse, new data shows.

A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found a "profound increase in weight gain for kids" that is "substantial and alarming," Dr. Alyson Goodman,...

Kids Piled on Extra Pounds During Pandemic

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• August 31, 2021
• Full Page

New research confirms the pandemic has not been good for the waistlines of children.

During lockdowns, American kids gained more weight than before the pandemic, and the number who became obese also increased, researchers report.

"This increased weight gain occurre...

U.S. Kids Are Eating More 'Ultraprocessed' Foods

• HealthDay Reporter
• August 10, 2021
• Full Page

Frozen burgers, pizza pockets and toaster strudel. Energy drinks and sugary sodas. Fruit leather and potato chips. Cookies and cereal bars. Fish sticks and chicken strips.

These sorts of quick-pick manufactured foods are considered "ultraprocessed," and dietitians believ...