American Academy of Pediatrics Recommendations for Prevention of Pediatric Overweight and Obesity

from Practice Update, Spring 2004

• Identify and track patients at risk by virtue of family history, birth weight, or socioeconomic, ethnic, cultural, or environmental factors.
• Calculate and plot BMI once a year in all children and adolescents.
• Use change in BMI to identify rate of excessive weight gain relative to linear growth.
• Encourage, support and protect breastfeeding.
• Encourage parents and caregivers to promote healthy eating patterns by offering nutritious snacks, such as vegetables and fruits, low-fat dairy foods and whole grains; encouraging children’s autonomy in self-regulation of food intake and setting appropriate limits on choices; and modeling healthy food choices.
• Routinely promote physical activity, including unstructured play at home, in school,in childcare settings and throughout the community.
• Recommend limitation of television and video time to a maximum of two hours per day.
• Recognize and monitor changes in obesity-associated risk factors for adult chronic disease, such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, hyperinsulinemia, impaired glucose tolerance and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

From the Prevention of Pediatric Overweight and Obesity, Pediatrics. 2003; 112, 424-430.