This reading list is a resource for those who would like to expand their knowledge of childhood obesity, its causes, and ways to prevent or cure it.
“Active Healthy Living: Prevention of Childhood Obesity Through Increased Physical Activity” is a policy statement produced by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The introduction contains extensive research and information about the factors that contribute to child and teen obesity, including statistics on average physical activity levels of various age groups, both inside and outside of schools. The benefits of physical activity itself are explored in depth, and the introduction concludes with excellent, detailed recommendations about the ideal amount and type of physical activity for each age group of children. The remainder of the report gives recommendations for what doctors should tell parents, but parents can easily and directly read the information in the report itself.
“Teen Obesity” is an article by TeenHelp.com that specifically focuses on obesity in teenagers. It draws from several studies and websites, providing a clear picture of why teen obesity is a problem, why society should worry about it, and what can be done to prevent it. The article doesn’t talk specifically about methods to ‘cure’ a teenager’s obesity, although some of the mentioned prevention methods could be used in that way. Overall, it is a concise and credible overview of teen obesity, and it provides links to its sources as well as links to related pages on its own website.
“Help For Parents of Overweight Children” is an article that provides various tips for parents who aren't sure how to deal with their overweight children. The tips include the standard diet and physical activity advice, but the article takes a more cautious approach to weight control than most other websites and organizations. The authors encourage parents not to restrict the foods their children can eat, but to lead by example and make eating healthy a fun and stress-free experience. They also encourage parents to take a more active role in their children's lives and provide specific, numbered suggestions that parents can put to practical use on a daily basis.
“The Obesity-Depression Link” is an article that examines the relationship between childhood obesity and childhood depression. It talks about why the two conditions may often coincide (the exact reasons are not known), citing an 8-year study that discovered a correlation between the length of time that a child is obese and the likelihood of that child's being depressed. The article goes into detail about the brain chemistry that is linked with both depression and weight gain, and provides other statistics from the study, such as the difference in life quality of a child who is obese versus a child who is not.
Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness and Council on School Health. “Active Healthy Living: Prevention of Childhood Obesity Through Increased Physical Activity.” PEDIATRICS 117.5 (2006): 1834-1842. Web. 21 Feb. 2011.
"Help For Parents of Overweight Children." Help For Overweight Children. Anne Collins, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2011.
Lawson, W. “The Obesity-Depression Link.” Psychology Today, 1 May 2003. Web. 21 Feb. 2011.
"Teen Obesity." TeenHelp.com, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2011.
