Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Panel: Call fat kids ‘obese’
CDC considering controversial guidelines; AMA isn’t
By LINDSEY TANNER | Associated Press
CHICAGO — Doctors ought to quit using fuzzy terms to define children’s weight problems and instead refer to truly fat kids as overweight or obese, a committee of medical experts recommended.
Less blunt terms used by the government and doctors diplomatically avoid the term “obese.” Instead, they refer to children many would consider too fat as being “at risk for overweight,” and “overweight” for those others would consider obese.
Those categories don’t adequately define the hefty problem, according to the group, which was convened by the American Medical Association and funded by federal health officials including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The nonbinding recommendations are designed as guidelines for pediatricians and other medical professionals who work with children. The CDC will consider whether to adopt the recommendations; the AMA has no plans to endorse them.
The recommended terms cut to the chase, at least medically, but don’t mean that doctors should be insensitive or use the label in front of every patient, said Dr. Reginald Washington, a committee spokesman .
About 17 percent of U.S. children are obese and one-third are overweight, using the committee’s recommended definitions. Those numbers are rising, putting children at risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol problems and other ailments more commonly found in adults.
The change in terms is among several recommendations the committee, comprising 15 medical organizations, is promoting to help doctors prevent, diagnose and treat obesity in children. Other recommendations include assessing weight and body mass index at least yearly; and evaluating eating habits and activity levels at all well-child visits.
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