Doctors should screen children and teens between 6 and 18 years for extra pounds, members of the United States Preventive Services Task Force reported in the February issue of the journal Pediatrics. For children who are found to be obese based on their body mass index (BMI), a standard measure of the relationship between height and weight, the task force also calls for referrals to a comprehensive program that includes dietary advice, physical activity, and behavioral counseling to promote weight loss. These recommendations update the ones from 2005. Some experts countered that the taskforce report falls short by not recognizing the developmental trajectory of obesity in childhood.
Obesity is linked to the early development of diabetes and high blood pressure.
