THURSDAY, Feb. 15, 2024 (Health Day News) -- Schools that want little girls to get plenty of exercise might want to rethink their dress code.
A University of Cambridge study of more than 1 million kids in 135 countries found that in countries where most students wear sch...
Childhood obesity is concerning for many reasons, among them that the severity of the sleep disorder known as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) grows with obesity levels and age.
Racial discrimination may drive health inequities from an early age, according to researchers who found that it puts kids at risk for obesity.
“Exposure to racial discrimination must be acknowledged as both a social determinant of obesity and a significant contributor ...
A growing obesity epidemic may affect the outcome of treatment for those dealing with cancer, according to a new study of adults and teens being treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
Researchers called for further study of how weight affects the response to dif...
The drugs Wegovy and Ozempic are all the rage for weight loss these days, and now a new study shows these injections may be game-changers for obese teenagers, too.
This trial, funded by drug maker Novo Nordisk, found that nearly half of all adolescents on sema...
As obesity rises among U.S. kids and teens, the number of weight-loss surgeries is growing, too.
Metabolic and bariatric surgeries among 10- to 19-year-olds rose by nearly 20% between 2020 and 2021, after climbing since 2016, a new study finds.
The jump is esp...
Men who were overweight as boys may have infertility issues in adulthood, according to new research.
Researchers studying the issue of male infertility, often a mystery, looked at health data from 268 young people between 2 and 18 years of age. They had been referred to ...
The consequences of COVID-19 during pregnancy are still unfolding, but a new study delivers sobering news: Prenatal exposure to the virus may be linked to childhood obesity.
Looking at nearly 280 infants, researchers found those whose mothers had COVID while pregnant h...
Teenagers with the nighttime breathing disorder sleep apnea may have brains that look a little different from their peers', a new study suggests.
Researchers found that among nearly 100 teens who underwent brain scans, those with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) tended to h...
Even modest weight gain above the average puts kids at risk for high blood pressure, new research shows.
“Hypertension during youth tracks into adulthood and is associated with cardiac and vascular organ damage," said lead study author
More than a decade ago, the Obama administration passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 as a way to counter the toll the obesity epidemic was taking on children's health.
The goal was to markedly improve the nutritional value of federal food programs that regul...
A leading pediatricians' group has issued new guidelines on treating obesity in children and teens that, for the first time, call for early, aggressive intervention that can include weight-loss drugs and surgery.
“There is no evidence that ‘watchful waiting' or delay...
With U.S. health officials calling childhood obesity a public health crisis, conversations about weight are important. But what you say to your kids can be challenging, and even counterproductive, a new study found.
"Body weight is a sensitive issue and the way we talk a...
The brains of girls and boys who have binge eating disorder show key differences, according to a new study.
That's an important finding, researchers say, because both gender...
Experts studying kids' sleep and eating habits have learned more about a potential reason for childhood obesity.
Kids who are deprived of sleep tend to eat more calories the next day, researchers found. And some of those extra calories come from less-healthy, sugar-laden...
Children are not as physically fit as their parents were when they were kids, and this will likely harm them as the Earth warms, new research claims.
The findings are based on a comprehensive review of more ...
For the first time ever, more than 1 in 5 American kids is obese.
From 2011 to 2012 and again from 2017 to 2020, rates of obesity rose for kids between 2 and 5 years of age as well as 12- to 19-year-olds, a new analysis of nationwide health survey data shows. And the upt...
Despite reports that rates of childhood obesity are decreasing, kids seem to be packing on pounds at younger ages.
In 1998, just under 73% of children entering kindergarten in 1998 had a normal body mass index (BMI), while 15.1% were overweight, and 12% were obese.
<...Rates of childhood obesity in the United States are soaring, and new research suggests child care programs may be part of the problem.
Most tots in these programs aren't getting nearly enough exercise.
National guidance for child care programs calls for providing a...
As early as age 6, children who carry extra weight could be headed down a path toward future diabetes or heart disease, a new study suggests.
The study, of nearly...
If a mother reaches for cakes, chocolates or other snacks when she's feeling down, her children could become emotional eaters as well.
Kids' chances of becoming emotional eaters are shaped by both their natural eating tendencies and their parent's influence, according to...
If your children struggle with their weight, new research suggests they may also suffer from diseases once seen only in adults.
Stiffening of the arteries, which can lead to early heart attacks and strokes, and type 2 diabetes were found in many of the more than 600 obes...
A new study is highlighting yet another consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic: It has likely made it even harder for kids with obesity to manage their weight.
The findings, researchers sai...
It's probably fair to say that most people know of the so-called "Freshman 15" -- the weight that college students are often said to gain when they're away from home for the first time.
But in recent decades, matters have gotten much worse in the United States. A new stu...
You've probably heard that getting better sleep can be good for your waistline. The same appears to be true for your baby.
Newborns who get more sleep and wake up less during the night are less likely to become overweight in infancy, according to a just-published study.<...
Severely obese children who are unable to slim down should be eligible for weight loss surgery, a new study suggests.
The gastric sleeve procedure is safe and effective long-term, said a research team that followed participants as young as 5 for a decade.
"La...
Childhood obesity was a worrisome issue before the pandemic, and now it's alarmingly worse, new data shows.
A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found a "profound increase in weight gain for kids" that is "substantial and alarming," Dr. Alyson Goodman,...
New research confirms the pandemic has not been good for the waistlines of children.
During lockdowns, American kids gained more weight than before the pandemic, and the number who became obese also increased, researchers report.
"This increased weight gain occurre...
Frozen burgers, pizza pockets and toaster strudel. Energy drinks and sugary sodas. Fruit leather and potato chips. Cookies and cereal bars. Fish sticks and chicken strips.
These sorts of quick-pick manufactured foods are considered "ultraprocessed," and dietitians believ...
The U.S. fast-food industry has boosted spending on ads targeting kids, especially Black and Hispanic youth, new research shows.
For the study, the researchers analyzed data on ad spending and TV ad exposure for 274 fast-food restaurants and found that annual spending hi...
In a finding that confirms what many suspect, a new study shows that teens who are overweight or obese may be more likely to develop type 2 diabetes or have a heart attack in their 30s and 40s.
These teens are also more likely to have other health issues down the road, r...
Strokes are on the rise among people younger than 50, and new research suggests that packing on the pounds during the teen years is a big reason why.
The more overweight you were from ages 16 to 20, the greater your risk of having a stroke before age 50, the new study sh...
Could there be a way to tell years in advance which girls are more likely to develop eating disorders?
New research from Denmark suggests that childhood body mass index (BMI) may offer important clues. BMI is an estimate of body fat based on height and weight.
The ...
Taking a deep dive into how Americans eat, a new dietary analysis finds that no matter where people get their food, bad nutrition rules the day, with one key exception: schools.
The conclusion is based on surveys conducted among 61,000 adults and children between 2003 an...
Are you the type to linger over a meal, or do you tend to eat quickly without giving it much thought?
New research confirms that you're better off going the slow route, because fast eaters tend to consume more and be more vulnerable to gaining weight and becoming obese. ...
While childhood obesity is a significant challenge, German researchers have uncovered some hopeful news while investigating the impact of genes.
Though some "obesity genes" do play a minor role in the success of weight loss interventions, environmental, social and behavi...
Limiting TV ads for sugary, salty and high-fat foods and drinks might help reduce childhood obesity, British researchers suggest.
They looked at advertising of these products between 5:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. If all such ads were withdrawn during those hours, the number ...
High rates of child and teen obesity could play a growing role in people's risk for multiple sclerosis (MS), British researchers say.
Prior research has suggested that 53% of MS risk is directly attributable to environmental factors. For example, up to 1 in 5 cas...
A lot of kids have been pushing up the scale numbers while home during the pandemic -- and parents need to take steps to prevent the dreaded "quarantine 15," an expert says.
"During the school year, most parents rely on schools to provide their child with regular exe...
Just how healthy has the introduction of healthier new meals at America's schools been for kids? A new study ties the policy move to about a half-million fewer obese U.S. children.
The study covered kids aged 10 to 17. It found that after the introduction in 2012-20...
One side effect of the coronavirus pandemic could be long-lasting: U.S. school closures may worsen the child obesity crisis, experts warn.
Previous research has shown that kids tend to gain weight when they're out of school during the summer -- especially Hispanic an...
Teens who live around lots of obese or overweight kids come to see their body types as ideal, a new study suggests.
As a result, these teens tend to be obese or overweight themselves, researchers say.
"Higher obesity rates may normalize unhealthy weight i...
Kids get more calories from the snacks they eat after sports than they burn while playing, which could add up to thousands of extra calories a year, a new study warns.
"So many kids are at games just to get their treat afterwards, which really isn't helping to develo...
Weight-loss surgery is as effective for people who became obese before age 20 as for older patients, new research shows.
For the study, researchers from the University of Gothenburg, in Sweden, analyzed data from just over 4,000 obese adults. Half had undergone weigh...
Little ones who stay up late may have a higher risk of becoming overweight by the time they are school-age, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that young children who routinely got to sleep after 9 p.m. tended to gain more body fat between the ages of 2 and 6. C...
Grandparents can be a bad influence on kids' weight, researchers say.
That's the upshot of an analysis of 23 studies conducted in the United States and eight other countries by a team from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.
The study fo...
When pregnant women use cosmetics containing parabens, their children may have a greater likelihood of becoming overweight, a new study suggests.
Parabens are chemicals that have long been used as a preservative in cosmetics and body care products. A number of studie...
Childhood obesity is such a crisis in America that officials have been updating recommendations for how early intervention should begin.
Obesity now affects as many as 20% of the nation's children.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force reviewed the l...
Regular exercise reduces heart risk factors in overweight and obese kids, researchers report.
Their study included 175 inactive boys and girls, aged 8 to 11, who took part in afterschool programs.
All of them did homework for about a half-hour and had a hea...
Childhood obesity may be linked to changes in brain structure that might result in impulsive kids who struggle with problem-solving, a new study reports.
Overweight and obese children tend to have a thinner prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain associated with decis...