IOM Report Shows Progress is Slow in Reversing Childhood Obesity Trend

According to a new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), efforts to prevent childhood obesity remain fragmented and lack evaluation. The report is a follow-up to IOM's report "Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance" released two years ago. The IOM Committee noted that since the first report was released, government, industry, communities, schools and families have developed many initiatives to respond to the growing problem of childhood obesity. However, efforts remain fragmented, most of the policies and programs are not being evaluated, and national efforts lack the necessary leadership.

Pre-publication copies of "Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity: How Do We Measure Up?" are available from the National Academies Press at http://www.nap.edu.

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Overweight in Early Childhood Increases Chances for Obesity at Age 12: Report

This report is based on a collaborative study by NIH and several academic institutions. The results indicate that children who are overweight as toddlers or preschoolers are more likely to be overweight or obese in early adolescence. This analysis, appearing in the September Pediatrics, provides some of the strongest evidence to date that overweight in early childhood increase the chances for overweight in later life.

For more information about the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, go to http://www.nichd.nih.gov/od/secc/index.htm.