Dr. Nader said growth curves raise the idea of prevention as not such a daunting endeavor because one has time over the entire preschool and school age period to be sure that family has healthy nutrition and active play opportunities for their child.
Whether using the CDC or WHO standards, routine monitoring and assessment of a child's growth and development is an important step in the battle against childhood obesity, but simply identifying children at risk during well child visits and recommending more healthful eating and activity habits will not win the war.
“The medical system can play a big role, but it's only one site of potentially effective interventions for preventing obesity,” according to Dr. Gillman. “Broader, population-based initiatives are also needed.”
With the WHO growth curves, more American babies and young children fall into an overweight category. Denise Fulton/Elsevier Global Medical News