Today 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. The committee, made up of representatives
from fifteen health professional organizations, was 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 AMA, HRSA and the CDC, recognizing that obesity is a major public
health problem, assembled an expert committee of representatives from
organizations involved in medicine, nutrition, mental health, epidemiology
and psychology to develop recommendations for the care of overweight and
obese children.
"Childhood obesity is a major public health problem," said Cecil B.
Wilson, M.D., AMA Board Chair. "Overweight children tend to have health
problems more commonly found in adults like diabetes, high cholesterol and
high blood pressure. The Expert Committee studied this issue intently, and
we thank them for their hard work and recommendations."
The 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. A complete list of
the recommendations can be found at
ama-assn/ama/pub/category/11759.html.
"Our committee worked diligently to identify new treatment and
prevention options to address the growing problem of overweight and obese
children," said Reginald Washington, M.D., a Denver physician and
spokesperson for the Expert Committee. "We hope that health care
professionals will apply these recommendations to their practice, so we can
continue working to preserve the health of our children."
The following organizations are members of the Expert Committee:
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Academy of
Pediatrics, American Association of Family Physicians, American College of
Preventive Medicine, American College of Sports Medicine, American Dietetic
Association, American Pediatric Surgical Association, American
Psychological Association, Association of American Indian Physicians, The
Endocrine Society, National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners,
National Association of School Nurses, National Hispanic Medical
Association, National Medical Association and the Obesity Society.
American Medical Association
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