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Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents
Knowledge Path

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: 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.

Related topics: Please see our knowledge paths, Nutrition in Children and Adolescents and Physical activity and 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). [Journal supplement].

  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). [Book description and order form].

• 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 and 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.

  Counseling overweight and obese children and teens: Health care reference and client education handouts. (2008). [Book description and order form].

  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). [Position statement].

  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. Recent publications include

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

  Overweight and obesity: Statistics. (2008). [Fact sheet].

  Youth and cardiovascular diseases: Statistics. (2008). [Fact sheet].

• 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. Recent publications include

  Obesity prevention and control, rev. ed.. (2008). [Position statement].

• 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). [Guide].

  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 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, 6th ed. (2005) 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. Recent publications include

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

• 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). [Fact sheet].
    
    
  • Prevalence of overweight among children and adolescents: United States, 2003-2004. (2007). [Fact sheet].

  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). 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). Recent publications include

  Food and nutrition assistance programs and obesity: 1976 -2002. (2007). [Report].

  Parental time, role strain, and children's fat intake and obesity-related outcomes. (2006). [Report].

• 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. FNIC is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). A recent resource list is

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

• 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. See Data2010 for data about the Healthy People 2010 nutrition and overweight objectives. See the HP2010 Information Access Project for access to published literature related to these objectives. Also view proposed Healthy People 2020 objectives 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). 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).
  
  
• 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.

• 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). [Meeting summary].

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

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

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

  Tackling childhood obesity through public-private collaboration. (2006). [Issue brief].

• 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 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. 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.
  
  
• 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). [Research brief].

• 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). [Report].

  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). [Report].

  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.

• State Nutrition Action Plan (SNAP). Presents state plans and materials for delivering nutrition education, counseling, and prevention services in nutrition-assistance programs. Preventing overweight and obesity is an overarching goal. SNAP is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
  
  
• 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!
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). 2008. 2008 physical activity guidelines for Americans. Washington, DC: Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). This set of materials provides science-based guidance to help Americans ages 6 and older improve their health through participation in appropriate physical activity. Recommendations are provided for groups such as children and adolescents, adults, older adults, pregnant and postpartum women, and individuals with special health care needs. 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). 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 Webcast 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).
  
  
• U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). 2010. Screening for obesity in children and adolescents. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). This statement recommends that doctors screen children aged six years and older for obesity and offer or refer them to counseling and behavioral interventions to promote improvements in weight gain status. Supporting documents accompany the recommendation.
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• 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. This report describes the problem of child and adolescent obesity, recommends steps to address the problem, and outlines benchmarks of success. Recommendations focus on the early childhood period, empowering parents and caregivers, providing healthy food in schools, improving access to healthy, affordable foods, and increasing physical activity.
  
  
• 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). This report examines the effectiveness and safety of behavioral, pharmacological, and surgical treatments for children and adolescents (ages 2-18) who are overweight or obese.
  
  
• 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).
  
  
• Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Presents systematic reviews of the effects of health care interventions internationally. Search for abstracts of the reviews by entering overweight OR obesity in the search box. Click on Search Reviews to get your results. Access to the full-text article requires a subscription. The database is published by the Cochrane Collaboration, an international not-for-profit organization based in the United Kingdom.
  
  
• Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE). Contains summaries of systematic reviews that have met strict quality criteria. Included reviews must be about the effects of interventions. Each summary also provides a critical commentary on the quality of the review. The database covers a broad range of health topics. To identify summaries, type (overweight OR obesity) AND (child OR adolescent) in the search box. Click on Search to get your results. DARE is produced and maintained by the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at the University of York.
  
  
• Food and Nutrition Information Center (FNIC) Databases. Presents a collection of databases about evaluated food and nutrition education and training materials and research. Databases with materials about overweight and obesity in children and adolescents are

  Food Stamp Nutrition Connection Resource Finder Database. Search the database by subject: Weight Control.

  Healthy Meals Resource System Education and Training Materials Database. Search by keywords (separately): Overweight, Obesity.

  WIC Works Education and Training Materials Database. Search the database by topic: Childhood Overweight/Obesity.

• HP2010 Information Access Project: Nutrition and Overweight. Provides an automatic search mechanism for published literature indexed in PubMed related to the Healthy People 2010 objectives about reducing the proportion of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese. Also links to the narratives for each of these objectives and the complete chapter about nutrition and overweight in the text, Healthy People 2010: Understanding and improving health, 2nd ed. (2000). This service is provided by the Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Workforce, a collaboration of federal agencies, public health organizations, and health sciences libraries.
  
  
• Maternal and Child Health Library at the National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health (NCEMCH), Georgetown University. Maintains several databases to collect, manage, and disseminate knowledge about MCH, with special emphasis on knowledge gained from initiatives and programs supported by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). The library's bibliographic database is

  MCHLine®. To identify library materials on the topic, type obesity in the keyword field of the database search form. To narrow your search, enter a publication date (single year or range of years).

  The Maternal and Child Health Library also offers organizations and programs databases.

• National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC). Contains evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and related materials for health professionals. Identify guidelines by selecting Detailed Search in the Search box. Enter obesity OR overweight in the Keyword field. Scroll down on the search form to select Age of Target Population (e.g., Adolescent, Child, Infant). Hold down the control key (ctrl) or Apple command key and click your mouse to make multiple selections. The database is an initiative of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). An important guideline on the topic is

  Prevention of pediatric overweight and obesity. (2003).

• PubMed. Contains over 19 million citations for biomedical articles from MEDLINE and life science journals. Citations may include links to full-text articles from PubMed Central or publisher Web sites. To identify citations on the topic, enter the terms overweight OR obesity in the search box. Click on Limits and make the following selections on the page: select a date (e.g. Published in the last 2 years); click on Languages: English; click on Species: Humans; click on Ages: All Child; and select Search Field Tags: MeSH Major Topic. Click on Search to get your results. To narrow your search further or for additional searches, use the MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) database to identify terms (e.g., (overweight OR obesity) and diabetes mellitus). PubMed is a service of the National Library of Medicine (NLM). Also see the HP2010 Information Access Project for access to published literature related to the Healthy People 2010 objectives about overweight and obesity in children and adolescents.
  
  
• Also see Action for Healthy Kids, the Center on Media and Child Health (CMCH), the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) Database, the School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS), and the School Health Resource Database.
  

Programs Databases

• Discretionary Grant Information System (DGIS). Contains information about grants issued by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), including grants to address overweight and obesity in the MCH population. To identify these projects, click on Abstracts, enter overweight obesity in the Search Word or Phrase field, click on Any of the words, and click on Search to get your results.
  
  
• Health Services Research Projects in Progress (HSRProj). Provides information about ongoing health services research and public health projects. To identify projects on the topic, enter the search phrase (overweight OR obesity) AND (child OR adolescent). Click on Search to get your results. HSRProj is funded by the National Library of Medicine (NLM).
  
  
• Maternal and Child Health Library at the National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health (NCEMCH), Georgetown University. Maintains two databases to identify organizations and programs working to prevent and treat overweight and obesity in children and adolescents:

  MCH Organizations Database. Lists over 2,000 government, professional, and voluntary organizations involved in MCH activities, primarily at a national level. To identify organizations about overweight and obesity in children and adolescents, search the database. Click on the box next to the MCH Organizations Database and type obesity in the search box. Click on Search to get your results.

  MCH Projects Database. Comprises an online catalog of projects funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) through October 1, 2002. MCHB funded several projects about overweight and obesity in children and adolescents. To identify them, go to the database search form. Type obesity in the Abstract field. Also see MCHB's Discretionary Grant Information System (DGIS).

• Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity State Legislative Database. Contains summaries of state legislative bills related to nutrition, physical activity, and obesity from 2001 to the present. Select Obesity/Overweight in the topic field. Links are provided to each state legislature site where the full-text version of the bill is available. This database is presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
  
  
• Shaping America's Youth (SAY) Program Registry. Includes information on intervention programs throughout the United States that are working to improve nutrition and physical activity in children and adolescents. Search by program name, keyword, organization, state, and category (e.g., Program target age: children, ages 5-12). SAY is a national joint public- and private-sector initiative to identify and centralize efforts currently under way across the United States to reverse the rapidly increasing prevalence of overweight and inactivity among children and adolescents.
  
  
• Also see Action for Healthy Kids and Making It Happen! School Nutrition Success Stories.
  

  
  

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: Electronic Discussion Groups on Food and Nutrition Issues. This annotated list links to electronic discussion groups about healthy eating and physical activity in a variety of settings.
  

  
  

Resources for Families

• See the Maternal and Child Health Library's family resource brief, Overweight and Obesity in Kids and Teens.
  

  
  

Schools and After-school Programs

• Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK). Offers tools and resources for policymakers, educators, and researchers to help support positive changes with nutrition and physical activity in the school environment to address the problem of child and adolescent overweight and obesity. Composed of 51 state teams and a national coordinating and resource group, this nationwide initiative receives guidance and direction from more than 50 national organizations and government agencies representing education, health, nutrition, and physical activity. Resources include

  Resources to Improve Schools. Offers profiles of successful school-based interventions, programs, and practices that improve child and adolescent health and readiness to learn through better nutrition and physical activity. Also includes articles, assessment tools, fact sheets, curricula, policies, guidelines, and links to Web sites.

  Wellness Policy Tool. Presents an online tool for developing, implementing, and evaluating a school wellness policy that meets a local school district's unique goals for nutrition and physical activity.

• American Council on Exercise (ACE): Youth Fitness. Presents an online curriculum that integrates health and fitness into classroom learning for students in grades 3 to 5. This seven-lesson module was developed to teach students about the dangers associated with being overweight and the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle. Also offers fact sheets and other materials to help promote physical fitness among children and adolescents. ACE is an international, nonprofit fitness certification and education provider.
  
  
• Center for Health and Health Care in Schools (CHHCS): Schools and Childhood Overweight. Presents information about the problem of child and adolescent overweight and obesity and discusses the role of school health professionals in responding to this threat.
  
  
• CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH): Childhood Overweight. Contains data, science-based strategies, policy guidance, and information about national, state, and local programs to address child and adolescent overweight and obesity. Resources and initiatives include

  Body mass index measurement in schools (2007). [Executive summary].

  Make a difference at your school! CDC resources can help you implement strategies to prevent obesity among children and adolescents. (2008). [Guide].

  Making It Happen! School Nutrition Success Stories. Comprises an online database of schools and school districts that have implemented innovative strategies to improve the nutritional quality of foods and beverages sold outside federal meal programs. Search the database by nutrition strategy, state, and grade level.

  Physical education curriculum analysis tool. (2006). [Guide].

  School Health Index. Contains a self-assessment and planning tool that schools can use to improve their health and safety policies and programs.

  School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS). Presents information about this national survey conducted every 6 years to assess school health policies and programs at the state, district, school, and classroom levels. SHPPS was most recently conducted in 2006. Downloadable fact sheets, journal articles, and state-level summaries present SHPPS results. Data files, survey documentation, and archives are also available. See topic-specific fact sheets about nutrition and physical activity.

  Also see DASH's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS).

• CDC's Guide to Community Preventive Services: Obesity. Contains information about a systematic review of the effectiveness of school-based interventions to promote healthy growth and development in children and adolescents.
  
  
• Edible Schoolyard. Presents information about this program for middle school students to learn how to grow, harvest, and prepare nutritious seasonal produce to better understand the connection between what students eat and where it comes from, with the goal of fostering environmental stewardship and revolutionizing the school lunch program. Includes program plans, equipment lists, and classroom lessons.
  
  
• Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) Database. Presents information about journal articles, research reports, teaching guides, curricula, conference papers, and books covering all aspects of education-related issues. To identify resources on the topic, click on Advanced Search. Type obesity in the Search Term(s) box. Scroll down to the Publication Date field to select a date range. Click on the Search button to get your results. Use the ERIC Thesaurus to identify additional search terms for this search or related searches. ERIC is sponsored by the Department of Education.
  
  
• Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children. Presents articles, recipes, lesson plans, and other resources to transform school lunches and build a connection between students' personal health and where their food comes from.
  
  
• National Farm to School Program. Presents program and funding information, news, discussion forums, and publications about connecting schools with local farms to serve healthy meals in school cafeterias, improve student nutrition, provide nutrition education, and support local small farmers.
  
  
• School Health Resource Database. Comprises an online catalog of sample policies, articles, and training tools that address the many health issues facing local school districts. Scroll to the Customized Search form. Enter overweight obesity in the Abstract keyword(s) field and select Any word in the field to the right. Click on Search to get your results. This database is provided by the National School Boards Association (NSBA). NSBA also offers Healthy Eating 101, an information packet containing background on nutrition and childhood obesity, dietary guidelines and tools to promote healthy eating, and policy development strategies and success stories to improve the school nutrition environment and promote wellness. Physical Activity 101 contains data on physical activity levels among children and adolescents, recommended guidelines for physical activity, and policies that promote quality, lifelong patterns of physical activity and wellness.
  
  
• Team Nutrition. Provides schools with nutrition-education materials for children and families; technical-assistance materials for school food service directors, managers, and staff; and materials to build school and community support for healthy eating and physical activity. Team Nutrition is an initiative of the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). Resources and initiatives include

  Empowering youth with nutrition and physical activity. (2007). [Guide].

• Dobbins-Harper D, Fickel L. 2006. Promoting physical activity and healthy nutrition in afterschool settings: Strategies for program leaders and policy makers. Washington, DC: Child Care Bureau. This strategy brief outlines the important role that after-school programs can play in efforts to prevent childhood obesity. It includes ideas for incorporating nutrition and physical activity into after-school programming, strategies for financing these efforts, and examples of policies that can support and encourage the after-school community's endeavors to steer children toward healthy choices.
  
  
• Fletcher A. 2007. Healthy behaviors for children and families: Developing exemplary practices in nutrition, physical activity and food security in afterschool programs. Sacramento, CA: Center for Collaborative Solutions. This guide is designed to help after-school program leaders and their colleagues combat overweight and obesity among children and adolescents. The guide outlines six practices and indicator rubrics about nutrition, physical activity, and food security that programs can use for assessment and improvement.
  
  
• Hall G, Gruber D. 2006. Healthy choices afterschool: Investigation of the alignment of physical activity and nutrition programs/curricula and the National Afterschool Association Program Standards. Wellesley, MA: National Institute on Out-of-School Time. This document reports on physical activity and nutrition curriculum choices for after-school programs to highlight the valuable role out-of-school-time programs can fill in helping to address the problem of child and adolescent overweight and obesity.
  
  
• Molnar A, Garcia DR, Boninger F, Merrill B. 2006. National survey of the types and extent of the marketing of foods of minimal nutritional value in schools. Tempe, AZ: Arizona State University College of Education. This national survey of public school officials finds that advertising in schools is pervasive, that it is dominated by corporations that sell foods of minimal nutritional value and foods high in fat and sugar, that schools make little money from their participation in advertising, and that most schools' programs would not be reduced if advertising were eliminated.
  
  
• National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity (NANA). 2005. Model local school wellness policies on physical activity and nutrition. Washington, DC: National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity. This set of model nutrition and physical activity policies aims to provide guidance to local school districts on promoting nutrition and physical activity and addressing overweight in children and adolescents. The policies were developed in response to requests for guidance in meeting the new federal requirements of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004. The policies are based on nutrition science, public health research, and existing practices from exemplary states and local school districts around the county. Links to additional resources are also provided, along with information on using the model policies, self-assessment and planning tools, and a list of supporting organizations.
  
  
• Office of Science Education (OSE). 2006. Science of energy balance: Calorie intake and physical activity. NIH Curriculum Supplement for Middle School. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health (NIH). This curriculum for students in grades 7 and 8 explores the scientific principles of energy balance within the body (energy in vs. energy out) and their impact on human health.
  
  
• Parsad B, Lewis L. 2006. Calories in, calories out: Food and exercise in public elementary schools, 2005. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). This report presents national information about the availability of foods and opportunities for physical activity in public elementary schools.
  
  
• Policy Studies Associates (PSA). 2006. Everyone plays! A review of research on the integration of sports and physical activity in out of school time programs. Washington, DC: Policy Studies Associates (PSA). This report examines whether out-of-school time sports and physical activity programs can be effective in preventing child and adolescent overweight and obesity.
  
  
• Stallings VA, Yaktine AL, eds. 2007. Nutrition standards for foods in schools: Leading the way toward healthier youth. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. This report reviews and recommends nutrition standards and guidance for the sale, content, and consumption of foods and beverages at school, with attention given to foods and beverages offered in competition with federally reimbursable meals and snacks.
  
  
• Also see the publication, Childhood obesity (2006), which contains the article, The role of schools in obesity prevention and the policy brief, Fighting obesity in the public schools.
  
  
• Also see Let's Move, FitSource, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), the Food and Nutrition Information Center (FNIC), Healthy People 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the Interdisciplinary Leadership Training in Overweight Prevention and Intervention for Children with Special Health Care Needs, the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD), and the Child Trends DataBank.
  

  
  

Child Care

• FitSource: A Web Directory for Providers. Presents a set of links to resources for child care and after-school program professionals to help them incorporate physical activity and nutrition into their programs. Resources include activities, lesson plans, healthy recipes, information for parents, and other downloadable tools. FitSource is presented by the National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC).
  
  
• Healthy Eating Research. 2007. Promoting good nutrition and physical activity in child-care settings. Minneapolis, MN: Healthy Eating Research. This brief presents an overview of research that examines the nutritional quality of meals and snacks, opportunities for physical activity, and the outcomes of interventions designed to prevent overweight and obesity in child care settings.
  
  
• See the publication, Childhood obesity (2006), which contains the article, The role of child care settings in obesity prevention.
  

  
  

Media Exposure

• 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).
  
  
• National Institute on Media and the Family: Switch. Presents information about this family-based program that helps parents and kids get active, manage screen time, and chose nutritious foods. The institute is a nonprofit organization founded by David Walsh, Ph.D., a psychologist, educator, family therapist, and author concerned about the impact of media on children.
  
  
• Chester J, Montgomery K. 2007. Interactive food and beverage marketing: Targeting children and youth in the digital age. Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Media Studies Group. This report focuses on how advertising that promotes foods high in calories and low in nutrient content to young people contributes to the increasing incidence of childhood and adolescent obesity. The report outlines the problem, discusses different types of marketing strategies used to engage children and adolescents, and provides suggestions for creating a healthy media environment for the 21st century.
  
  
• 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. This document reports on a workshop about what the private sector can and should do to help decrease childhood overweight and obesity. The workshop reviewed current food-marketing practices and examined the actions that the food industry and media are taking to create and market healthier foods to children and to encourage positive changes in children's diets and health.
  
  
• McGinnis JM, Gootman JA, Kraak VI, eds. 2006. Food marketing to children and youth: Threat or opportunity? Washington, DC: National Academies Press. This report reviews research on food marketing and American children. The report concludes that television advertising significantly influences the food choices and purchases of children under 12 and that it is associated with increased rates of obesity among young people. The authors call on the food industry to work voluntarily with the federal government to promote a healthier diet for children.
  
  
• Also see the food marketing to children section in the knowledge path, Nutrition in Children and Adolescents.
  
  
• Also see the Center for Weight and Health (CWH) report, Focusing on TV: Obesity prevention for "tween-age" girls. (2007).

  
  

Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents: Knowledge Path, 3rd ed. (July 2008). (Updated: July 2010).
Author: Susan Brune Lorenzo, M.L.S., Maternal and Child Health 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., Maternal and Child Health 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.