Published 8 August 2008, doi:10.1136/bmj.a1037
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a1037

Editorials

Tackling obesity in children and adolescents

Further investment in public health strategies and medical intervention is needed

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has recently updated its 10 year old policy on screening for dyslipidaemias in childhood and adolescence stating that the report has "new urgency" in light of the current childhood obesity epidemic. In addition to recommending that children with a positive family history of lipid disorders or premature cardiovascular disease should be screened, the report also recommends that all overweight children aged 8 years and older should be screened for hypercholesterolaemia, regardless of family history or other risk factors. If indicated, such children should be treated by a combination of diet, physical activity, and, possibly, cholesterol lowering drugs.1 The fact that the recommendations focused on the medical treatment of hypercholesterolaemia in childhood raised media concerns about the apparent emphasis on medical, and specifically drug therapy, approaches to dealing with dyslipidaemia and its risk factors, including childhood obesity.2

Is this emphasis on treatment warranted in the face . . . [Full text of this article]

Louise A Baur, professor, discipline of paediatrics and child health, University of Sydney

1 The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Locked Bag 4001, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia

louiseb3@chw.edu.au


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