Expert Committee Releases Recommendations to Fight Childhood and Adolescent Obesity

Recently, the Expert Committee on the Assessment, Prevention and Treatment of Child and Adolescent Overweight and Obesity released recommendations for the management of overweight and obese children and adolescents.  Convened by the American Medical Association (AMA) and co-funded in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the committee gathers representatives from organizations involved in medicine, nutrition, mental health, epidemiology and psychology.

Recognizing that obesity is a major public health problem, the expert committee began meeting in early 2005 to study scientific data on the assessment, prevention and treatment of overweight and obese children.  The committee then created 22 recommendations for health care professionals who provide obesity care to apply in their practices. 

Assessment recommendations include, but are not limited to: that physicians and allied healthcare providers perform, at a minimum, a yearly assessment of weight status, dietary patterns, physical activity levels as well as a thorough physical examination.  Among the treatment recommendations are: that all healthcare providers address weight management and lifestyle issues with all patients regardless of presenting weight each year; that the treatment of overweight children be approached in a staged method based upon the child’s age, BMI, any related comorbidities, weight status of parents, and progress in treatment; and that the child’s primary caregivers/families be involved in the process. 

Recommendations Include Schools and Communities as Sources of Prevention of Obesity among Children

Among the prevention recommendations in the document are guidelines for dietary intake, physical activity, and eating behaviors. These recommendations also outline what healthcare providers and professional organizations should advocate for including: that the federal government increase physical activity at school through intervention programs as early as grade 1 through the end of high school and college, and through creating school environments that support physical activity in general. 

Also, it is stated that parks should be preserved and enhanced as areas for physical activity, informing local development initiatives regarding the inclusion of walking and bicycle paths.  Moreover, the document presents ways for healthcare providers to support schools, parents and the community in the fight against obesity.

The document ends with the expert committee suggesting that children of health weight participate in 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily and that individuals and families eat a diet rich in calcium, high in fiber, with balanced macronutrients, and limit the consumption of energy-dense foods. 

For additional information, please contact:

American Medical Association

515 N. State Street

Chicago, IL 60610

Phone: (800) 621-8335

Source: "Appendix: Expert Committee Recommendations on the Assessment, Prevention, and Treatment of Child and Adolescent Overweight and Obesity," June 6, 2007.