Published online July 1, 2005
PEDIATRICS Vol. 116 No. 1 July 2005, pp. 205-209 (doi:10.1542/peds.2005-0302)
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Related Collections
Right arrow Nutrition & Metabolism

SPECIAL ARTICLE

Screening and Interventions for Overweight in Children and Adolescents: Recommendation Statement

US Preventive Services Task Force

US Preventive Services Task Force, Rockville, Maryland

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is an independent panel of non-federal experts in prevention and primary care that systematically reviews the evidence of effectiveness and develops recommendations for clinical preventive services. This recommendation addresses the evidence for the accuracy of screening children and adolescents using BMI, the effectiveness of behavioral and pharmacologic interventions in improving health outcomes in these children, and the potential harms of routine screening and intervention. Using USPSTF methodology, an analytic framework with key questions was developed to guide the systematic review, which serves as the basis for this recommendation.

The number of children and adolescents who are overweight has more than doubled in the last 25 years. Childhood and adolescent overweight is associated with increased health risks. The USPSTF found insufficient evidence for the effectiveness of behavioral counseling or other preventive interventions with overweight children and adolescents that can be conducted in primary care settings. Currently, available studies are limited by factors such as small sample sizes, poor generalizability, and variable follow-up. Based upon this critical gap in the evidence for effectiveness, the USPSTF concludes that the evidence is insufficient to recommend for or against routine screening for overweight in children and adolescents as a means to prevent adverse health outcomes ("I" recommendation). There are several gaps in the research evidence on screening and interventions for overweight children and adolescents in the primary care setting. Research is needed to provide well-defined and effective approaches to medical and psychological screening in children, as well as effective clinical approaches for the prevention and treatment of overweight in children that can be implemented by primary care clinicians.

Key Words: children • overweight • obesity • screening • USPSTF

Abbreviations: USPSTF, US Preventive Services Task Force • RCT, randomized, controlled trial

Accepted Apr 19, 2005.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J Pediatr PsycholHome page
M. Schuetzmann, H. Richter-Appelt, M. Schulte-Markwort, and B. G. Schimmelmann
Associations Among the Perceived Parent-Child Relationship, Eating Behavior, and Body Weight in Preadolescents: Results from a Community-based Sample
J. Pediatr. Psychol., August 1, 2008; 33(7): 772 - 782.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
V. A. Moyer and D. Nelson
Pediatricians and the US Preventive Services Task Force: A Natural Partnership to Enhance the Health of Children
Pediatrics, July 1, 2008; 122(1): 174 - 176.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
N. F. Krebs, J. H. Himes, D. Jacobson, T. A. Nicklas, P. Guilday, and D. Styne
Assessment of Child and Adolescent Overweight and Obesity
Pediatrics, December 1, 2007; 120(Supplement_4): S193 - S228.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 CLIN PEDIATRHome page
M. J. Gilbert and M. F. Fleming
Use of Enhanced Body Mass Index Charts During the Pediatric Health Supervision Visit Increases Physician Recognition of Overweight Patients
Clinical Pediatrics, October 1, 2007; 46(8): 689 - 697.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch Pediatr Adolesc MedHome page
P. A. Estabrooks and S. Shetterly
The Prevalence and Health Care Use of Overweight Children in an Integrated Health Care System
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, March 1, 2007; 161(3): 222 - 227.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Nutr.Home page
T. Byers and R. L. Sedjo
Public Health Response to the Obesity Epidemic: Too Soon or Too Late?
J. Nutr., February 1, 2007; 137(2): 488 - 492.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
P. R. Nader, M. O'Brien, R. Houts, R. Bradley, J. Belsky, R. Crosnoe, S. Friedman, Z. Mei, E. J. Susman, and for the National Institute of Child Health and Hum
Identifying Risk for Obesity in Early Childhood
Pediatrics, September 1, 2006; 118(3): e594 - e601.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch Pediatr Adolesc MedHome page
T. N. Robinson
Obesity Prevention in Primary Care
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, February 1, 2006; 160(2): 217 - 218.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Diabetes Spectr.Home page
G. A. Burghen
Prevention and Treatment of Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, and Type 2 Diabetes in Children and Adolescents
Diabetes Spectr, October 1, 2005; 18(4): 210 - 212.
[Full Text] [PDF]