Recommended Reading
Other Useful Toolkits
Useful Links
Patient Education Materials
Community Action Guide
RECOMMENDED READING
Expert Committee Recommendations on the Assessment, Prevention, and Treatment of Child and Adolescent Overweight and Obesity: June 6, 2007.
Latest recommendations from the Expert Committee, made up of representatives of 15 professional organizations. These are the most current guidelines based on evidence and professional opinions to be used by medical professionals caring for the overweight and obese child and adolescent.
Expert Committee Recommendations Regarding the Prevention, Assessment, and Treatment of Child and Adolescent Overweight and Obesity: Summary Report
From the American Academy of Pediatrics, Sarah Barlow, MD, MPH, and the Expert Committee. Excellent summary of the recommendations, with practical implementation strategies for any practitioner caring for pediatric patients.
Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance: Institute of Medicine 2005.
Provides a broad-based examination of the nature, extent, and consequences of obesity in U.S. children and youth, including the social, environmental, and dietary factors responsible for its increased prevalence.
Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity: How Do We Measure Up? (2007).
Addressing the childhood obesity epidemic is a collective responsibility involving multiple stakeholders and sectors of our communities and country. These volumes give a comprehensive message of what we must do and how we are doing in curbing this overwhelming epidemic.
Pediatric Obesity: Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment Strategies for Primary Care
From S. Hassink, MD, FAAP, 2007. Offers the pediatric practitioner the latest practice recommendations and ready-to-use tools needed to tackle childhood obesity.
Pediatric Nutrition Handbook: 6th Edition, American Academy of Pediatrics, 2009.
Essential resource for all nutrition issues of childhood and adolescence.
Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Policies, 2011.
From Leann Birch, et al, Institute of Medicine. This is an outstanding early childhood obesity prevention book for pediatric practitioners and all stakeholders providing comprehensive solutions to tackle the problem of obesity in infants and young children. It also provides potential actions that can be taken to implement these recommendations.
Bright Futures Nutrition: 3rd Edition, 2011.
This “must have” book gives you updated guidelines, practices, and strategies for state-of-the-art nutrition supervision from birth through adolescence. It also gives you the best current thinking on prevention, early identification, and ongoing monitoring of a number of nutrition problems and issues. Finally, it has wonderful expert-developed tools, tips, and resources to help simplify nutrition screening and promotion for all practitioners. A handy Pocket Guide is also available.
Texas Public School Nutrition Policy at a Glance (Present School Year).
Comprehensive school nutrition policy establishing nutrition standards for all snacks, competitive foods, and meals prepared by the Texas Department of Agriculture for local schools for years 2004-2012. Every pediatric care provider should become familiar with these regulations.
OTHER USEFUL TOOLKITS
Let’s Go! A Childhood Obesity Toolkit for Healthcare Professionals
Excellent downloadable Toolkit used in a community-based initiative to promote healthy lifestyle choices in children, youth, and families in 12 Greater Portland ME communities.
Keep ME Healthy Program
Another outstanding toolkit developed by the Maine Youth Overweight Collaborative to help caregivers and improve outcomes for overweight and obese youth.
Ounce of Prevention Toolkit
This informational kit provides colorful parent handouts, physician charts and posters for help in preventing obesity through the first 12 well-child visits. Easily downloadable handouts are extremely useful in every office where children are cared for.
Pediatric Obesity Clinical Decision Support Chart: 5210
Flipchart with excellent Clinical Guidelines for the busy Practitioner from American Academy of Pediatrics. Excellent for designing templates for your Electronic Health Records.
Action for Healthy Kids
Tools for Action. An organization in all 50 states that provides a selection of tools and resources designed to help support positive changes in children’s nutrition and physical activity in the school environment.
Baby Steps in Texas Breastfeeding Toolkit
Created by the University of Texas Health Science Center in conjunction with the Texas Department of State Health Services and the South Central Area Education Center, this toolkit aims to make certain that breastfeeding is the choice of new mothers whenever possible. It provides videos and resources on breastfeeding for mothers and family members, and offers a variety of educational materials to provide to patients.
USEFUL LINKS
Prevention and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity: American Academy of Pediatrics Website
Tips for Parents: Ideas to help Children Maintain a Healthy Weight
We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity and Nutrition)
A national movement designed to give parents, caregivers, and entire communities a way to help children 8 to 13 years old stay at a healthy weight.
Choose My Plate
New website for Breast feeding infants, and healthy feeding of toddlers, and pre-schoolers, as well as Kids 6 – 11 years.
Eat Smart. Play Hard
Specifically designed for parents and caregivers to provide information to help you eat better, be more physically active, and be a good role model for your children.
Let’s Move!
Join First Lady Michelle Obama in a nationwide campaign to solve the challenge of childhood obesity in a generation.
Childhood Obesity Action Network (COAN)
A web-based National Network of Healthcare professionals in all 50 states and 5 countries working collaboratively on Childhood Obesity. Sponsored by NICHQ- It is recommended that anyone wanting to know what’s going on in the world of fighting Childhood Obesity should become a member.
PE4Life
A nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring active, healthy living for all children by advancing the development of quality, daily physical education programs in U.S. schools. Tabs for teachers, parents, school administrators, health care providers, and industry are very useful.
F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are failing in America: 2011 Report
Outstanding annual report that gives the latest statistics, trends, and updates on every aspect of state and federal policies and the outcomes concerning Childhood Obesity in America. Practical recommendations are made for all stakeholders involved in this major public health epidemic.
Cost of Obesity
Infographic from George Washington's Milken Institute School of Public Health to highlight the costs to our health and economy associated with obesity.
Coalition on Children and Weight San Diego
An amazing collaboration of hundreds of individuals from various sectors of the San Diego community working to combat childhood obesity throughout San Diego County. Includes annual action plans for seven domains where efforts can have the most influence in shaping healthful environments
Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC)
A phenomenal site that offers updated information and resources for all sectors of communities.
Blood Pressure Management: The Fourth Report on the Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents
Pediatrics. 2004;114(2):555-576.
Lipid Screening and Cardiovascular Health in Childhood - 2008
Pediatrics. 2008;122(1):198-208. The latest guidelines for screening lipids in childhood.
PATIENT EDUCATION MATERIALS
FIT KIDS: A Practical Guide to Raising Healthy and Active Children―From Birth to Teens.
M.L. Gavin, S.A. Dowshen, N. Ezenberg, eds. An excellent book from the editors of KidsHealth website, with practical information for all ages of children and their parents about healthy lifestyle issues, including nutrition, exercise, and behavior change.
A Parent’s Guide to Childhood Obesity: A Road Map to Health
Sandra Hassink, MD, FAAP, 2006.
Super-Sized Kids: How to Rescue Your Child From the Obesity Threat
W. Larimore, MD, and Sherri Flynt, MPH, RD, LD, 2005.
Trim Kids: The Proven 12-Week Plan That Has Helped Thousands of Children Achieve a Healthier Weight
Melinda Sothern, PhD, MEd, CEP, T. Kristian von Almen, PhD, and Heidi Shumacher, RD, LDN, CDE.
The American Dietetic Association’s Guide to Healthy Eating for Kids: How Your Children Can Eat Smart From 5 to 12
Jodie Shield, Med, RD, and Mary Catherine Mullen, MS, RD, 2002.
The Portion Teller: Smartsize Your Way to Permanent Weight Loss
Lisa R. Young, PhD, RD. This book teaches you how to understand portion sizes so that you can lose weight and stop dieting. Very helpful to teach the whole family portion sizes using common objects in our world.
BlubberBusters: Overweight in Childhood Internet Intervention Program
An online program and chatroom where pre-teens, teens, and parents can get valuable information and share questions and testimonies. A weight-loss program can also be viewed and monitored by a child’s health provider.
KIDNETIC: Healthy Eating and Activities for Kids and Parents
A cool interactive website for kids, parents, health care professionals, and educators. All components of Kidnetic.com promote healthy eating and active living in a way that is fun and relevant in the 9-to-12-year age group. The Kidnetic resources are aimed at inspiring kids and their families to move toward healthier lifestyles.
COMMUNITY ACTION GUIDE
Be Our Voice
As part of the Mobilizing Healthcare Professionals as Community Leaders in the Fight Against Childhood Obesity program, NICHQ has made this a key project to reverse the Childhood Obesity epidemic trend across the nation by training, supporting, and providing technical assistance to healthcare professionals in becoming advocates for change in their communities. This great program shows healthcare providers and other leaders within all areas of concern through advocacy training tools and technical assistance the “how to” in making real change for children in 7 states. For complete information, contact www.nichq.org/advocacy/about/index.html
Healthy Active Living for Families(HALF): Right from the Start
This new project of the American Academy of Pediatrics and funded by the Nestle Nutrition Institute (NNI) is designed to develop and test a series of positive family-focused messages specific to obesity prevention and care for all developmental stages seen in the general pediatric office setting. The messages and materials will be uniquely crafted for Well-Child visits in the Medical Home framework. These materials will be designed by both primary care providers and parents of their patients. If you are interested in participating, contact www.aap.org/obesity/HALF.html
Pediatric Research in Office Settings(PROS)
Consider joining this Practice-based research network of the American Academy of Pediatrics and becoming one of 1950 practitioners in 49 states , Puerto Rico, and Canada conducting research in the office setting. You will be guided by the research staff at the AAP and by expert research consultants from around the country. If you’re interested, contact www.aap.org/pros/
Collaborate for Healthy Weight
Become an engaged practitioner creating partnerships between public health officials, health care providers, and community-based organizations to discover sustainable ways to promote healthy weight and eliminate health disparities in your community. This outstanding project of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality will guide you through the process. Contact www.collaborateforhealthyweight.org/
