Overweight and Obesity in Children
and Adolescents
Knowledge Path
Knowledge Path Table of Contents
- Overview
- Websites
- Additional Electronic Publications
- Databases
- Electronic Newsletters and Online Discussion Groups
Please provide feedback on this knowledge path.
This knowledge path has been compiled by the MCH 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 present resources for child care settings and about the impact of media use. Separate briefs point to resources for families and schools. The knowledge path will be updated periodically.
Please note: 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." 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)). 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.
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.
- 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.
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 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. Initiatives 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.
Healthy Weight for Kids Initiative. Presents information and materials about this public-education campaign.
Champions for Healthy Kids. Presents information about this program that annually awards 50 grants of $10,000 each to community-based groups that develop creative ways to help children and adolescents adopt a balanced diet and physically active lifestyle.
- 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.
- American
Medical Association (AMA): Obesity. Presents conference
proceedings, professional-development materials, and recommendations
about overweight and obesity in children and adolescents.
- 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.
- 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
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.
- Center
for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP). Contains
reports, journal articles, dietary-guidance materials, food plans,
web-based training, and symposium proceedings. CNPP is part of
the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA). 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, 7th ed. (2010) and accompanying material.
- 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.
- 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.
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 legislative and regulatory activity and state-based programs to prevent obesity and improve nutrition and physical activity. Also see the Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System (PedNSS).
- 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). Also see LET's Guidelines
for adolescent nutrition services (2005) and the chapter, Overweight
adolescent.
- 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).
- Economic
Research Service (ERS). Contains economic information
and research on topics that include overweight and obesity. ERS
is part of the U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA).
- Food
and Nutrition Information Center (FNIC). Provides databases and resource
lists with links to reports, policy statements, websites, 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. FNIC is part of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA).
- Healthy
People 2020. Information about this national health-promotion
and disease-prevention initiative of the Department
of Health and Human Services. View the overview, objectives,
and recommended interventions and resources for nutrition
and weight status.
- 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). [Report, Brief, Fact sheet series].
Progress in preventing childhood obesity: How do we measure up? (2006). [Report, Brief, Fact sheets].
Also see a related IOM workshop summary, Joint U.S.-Mexico Workshop on Preventing Obesity in Children and Youth of Mexican Origin. (2007).
- Maternal
and Child Health Training Program: MCH Nutrition. Offers information about 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).
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.
- 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.
- Obesity Society.
Provides continuing education resources, journal articles, position
statements, fact sheets and other materials to promote research,
education, and advocacy to better understand, prevent, and treat
obesity.
- 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 websites 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. The
Surgeon General’s vision for a healthy and fit nation (2010)
describes the epidemic of overweight and obesity among children,
adolescents, and adults in the United States and presents recommendations
to address the problem through better nutrition and regular physical
activity in communities, homes, child care settings, schools,
work sites, and medical communities.
- 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.
- 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. Also see the RWJF-supported Childhood Obesity Prevention
Committee.
- 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
- Cawley J, Liu F. 2007. Maternal
employment and childhood obesity: A search for mechanisms in time
use data. Ann Arbor, MI: National
Poverty Center. [Paper].
- Department of Health and Human Services
(DHHS). 2008. 2008
physical activity guidelines for Americans. Washington, DC:
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). [Guidelines]. Materials
are available for health professionals, policymakers, adults, organizations,
and communities.
- 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).
[Journal issue, Policy brief, Webcast].
- Garasky S, Stewart SD, Gundersen C, Lohman BJ, Eisenmann JC. 2008. Food
insecurity, economic stressors, and childhood overweight. Ann
Arbor, MI: National Poverty Center.
[Paper].
- Government Accountability Office (GAO).
2006. Childhood
obesity: Factors affecting physical activity. Washington, DC:
Government Accountability Office. [Report].
- 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. [Report, Issue
brief]. Addresses obesity.
- 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. [Report].
- Maeshiro R. 2007. Prevention
and treatment of overweight and obesity: Medical school objectives
project. Washington, DC: Association
of American Medical Colleges. [Report].
- Marder W, Chang S. 2006. Childhood
obesity: Costs, treatment patterns, disparities in care, and prevalent
medical conditions. Ann Arbor, MI: Thomson
Medstat. [Research brief].
- 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.
[Chartbook].
- 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. [Report].
- 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. [Report].
- Monheit AC, Vistnes JP, Rogowski JA. 2007. Overweight
in adolescents: Implications for health expenditures. Cambridge,
MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.
[Paper].
- Mulheron J, Vonasek K. 2009. Shaping a Healthier Generation: Successful State Strategies to Prevent Childhood
Obesity. Washington, DC: NGA Center for Best Practices. [Report].
- 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).
[Guidelines]. 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).
[Guidelines, Pocket guide, Family fact sheets].
A chapter is devoted to obesity.
- U.S. Preventive
Services Task Force (USPSTF). 2010. Screening
for obesity in children and adolescents. Rockville, MD: Agency
for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). [Statement].
- White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity. 2010. Solving
the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation: Report to
the President. Washington, DC: Executive Office of the President
of the United States. [Report].
- Whitlock EP, O'Connor EA, Williams SB, Beil TL, Lutz KW. 2008. Effectiveness
of weight management programs in children and adolescents.
Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality (AHRQ). [Report].
- 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.
[Policy brief].
See the following set of MCH Library resource briefs to identify additional data and statistics, literature and research, and programs about overweight and obesity in children and adolescents.
- Maternal and Child Health Data and Statistics
- Maternal and Child Health Literature and Research Databases
- Maternal and Child Health Programs Databases
Electronic Newsletters and Online Discussion Groups
- Children's
Nutrition Research Center (CNRC): Nutrition and Your Child.
This quarterly electronic newsletter offers research-based information
to those interested in the nutritional care and feeding of infants,
children, and adolescents. Topics include overweight and obesity.
- Food
and Nutrition Information Center: Listservs and Blogs.
This annotated list links to electronic discussion groups and
blogs about healthy eating and physical activity in a variety
of settings.
- See the MCH Library family resource brief Overweight and Obesity in Kids and Teens.
Resources for Schools
- See the MCH Library school resource brief Overweight and Obesity.
- Center
on Media and Child Health (CMCH). Offers an online database of
research articles examining the relationship between media exposure
and health-risk behaviors, including overweight and obesity.
To identify articles on the topic, type overweight obesity in
the Words field. Click on OR in the field to the right. Narrow
your search by adding a publication date and age group. CMCH
is a joint project of Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical
School, and the Harvard School of Public Health.
- Media-Smart Youth:
Eat, Think, and Be Active! Offers a web-based health-promotion
program designed to help young adolescents (ages 11 to 13) become
aware of how media may influence their nutrition and physical
activity choices. This program was developed by the National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
- Chester J, Montgomery K. 2007. Interactive
food and beverage marketing: Targeting children and youth in the
digital age. Berkeley, CA: Berkeley
Media Studies Group. [Report].
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Department
of Health and Human Services (DHHS). 2006. Perspectives
on marketing, self-regulation, and childhood obesity. Washington,
DC: Federal Trade Commission. [Report].
- McGinnis JM, Gootman JA, Kraak VI, eds. 2006. Food
marketing to children and youth: Threat or opportunity? Washington,
DC: National Academies Press.
[Report].
- Also see the Center for
Weight and Health (CWH) report, Focusing
on TV: Obesity prevention for
"tween-age"
girls. (2007).
- Community Services Locator: An Online Directory for Finding Community Services for Children and Families knowledge path
- Nutrition in Children and Adolescents knowledge path, family resource brief, school resource brief
- Physical Activity and Children and Adolescents knowledge path, family resource brief, school resource brief
- Sleep in Infants, Children, Adolescents, and Pregnant Women knowledge path, family resource brief, school resource brief
Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents: Knowledge Path,
3rd ed. (July 2008). (Updated: February 2012).
Author: Susan Brune Lorenzo, M.L.S., MCH Library.
Reviewers: Lacey Arneson, Leadership Education and Training Program
in MCH Nutrition at the University of Minnesota, School of Public Health;
Rachel Bowers, Leadership Education and Training Program in MCH Nutrition
at the University of Minnesota, School of Public Health; Meredith Bruening,
R.D., Leadership Education and Training Program in MCH Nutrition at
the University of Minnesota, School of Public Health; Stephanie Heim,
Leadership Education and Training Program in MCH Nutrition at the University
of Minnesota, School of Public Health; Olivia Pickett, M.A., M.L.S.,
MCH Library; Jane Mitchell Rees, Ph.D., R.D.,
C.D., Maternal Child Health Program and Adolescent Medicine Section
at the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community
Medicine; Elizabeth Reisdorf, R.D., Leadership Education and Training
Program in MCH Nutrition at the University of Minnesota, School of
Public Health; Jamie Stang, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.D., University of Minnesota,
School of Public Health.
Editor: Ruth Barzel, M.A., MCH Library.
