Many studies rely on the International Classification of Diseases, 9th or 10th Revision, Clinical Modification codes to define obesity in electronic health records data. While prior studies found misclassification and low sensitivity of codes for pediatric obesity, it remains unclear whether this misclassification is random and what are the implications of combining different code types to define obesity. We assessed prevalence, sensitivity, and specificity of obesity codes among 7.4 million children aged 2-19 years over 2014-2021. Among those with obesity in 2021, we estimated the probability of receiving any code or a specific code type by patient characteristics. Obesity code utilization increased in prevalence from 3.9% in 2014 to 9.8% in 2021; prevalence of obesity based on BMI increased from 17.4% to 20.5%. Code sensitivity increased from 19.8% to 40.8%. Among children with obesity in 2021, those with severe obesity (reference: no severe obesity) and chronic disease (reference: no chronic disease) were more likely to get a code, and the highest likelihood was associated with obesity diagnosis codes (vs. status codes). Despite increases, obesity code utilization remained low. Obesity code misclassification is not random and certain child characteristics (e.g., severe obesity or chronic disease) are associated with a higher probability of getting a code. There are also significant differences by code type; thus, caution should be taken before combining obesity codes as a proxy for obesity status, especially in longitudinal analyses. More universal documentation of obesity may improve the quality of care and the use of these data for evaluation and research purposes.

School lunch is an important nutritious food source for children. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) meal patterns guidelines have been established to promote healthier school lunches. This pilot study compared food selection during lunch in a school cafeteria with the NSLP meal pattern guidelines. Food intake and waste were also examined in relation to food selection. In a cross-sectional design, data were collected from children in the 1st, 6th, and 10th grades from a school in the United States. The digital photography of foods method was used to assess children's food selection, intake, and waste at lunch over 3 weeks. Results were presented as percentage, frequency, and mean ± standard deviation. About 48 children from 1st grade, 47 from 6th grade, and 50 from 10th grade participated each day. Food selection in these grades consistently fell below the NSLP guidelines, with 69%, 79.8%, and 86.9% of children selecting less than the guidelines for energy, respectively. On average, only 10.4% of children selected vegetables at or above the guidelines. About 41% of the selected energy, 43% of fruits, 43% of vegetables, and 56% of milk were discarded as plate waste across all grades. Selection of energy and vegetables was consistently below the NSLP guidelines, yet almost half of the selected fruits, vegetables, and milk were wasted by children. Initiatives to enhance meal quality and variety, along with nutrition education interventions and school policies, are needed to improve food selection and intake and reduce food waste.

Individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) have increased risk of obesity from prolonged glucocorticoid use and progressive muscle weakness. Over 50% have obesity by the teenage years. : The current study examines literature on obesity management in DMD and describes how obesity pharmacotherapy can be used in this high-risk cohort. This review was conducted in adherence to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist. A Pubmed Database search was conducted from January 2000 to May 2024. Included terms were DMD and topiramate, phentermine, metformin, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, semaglutide, and liraglutide. Eligible studies were cataloged to examine obesity pharmacotherapy, side effect profiles, and clinical outcomes. Twenty studies met inclusion criteria, 18 on metformin. Reviewed studies varied in duration from 4 to 24 weeks, ages 6.5-44 years old, with 112 participants total (range: 1-30 participants). Included studies were: eight animal studies, six clinical trials, four reviews, one cohort study, and one case report. Primary outcomes varied among studies: muscular degeneration and function (15 articles), cardiac function (2 articles), weight loss (2 articles), and general endocrine care (1 article). Adjunct obesity pharmacotherapy use in youth with DMD is promising but needs to be confirmed. Large gaps include appropriate agent selection, side effect monitoring, and dose escalation. The overall quality of pediatric-specific evidence for the use of obesity pharmacotherapy in youth with DMD is low. Future research is needed to investigate how to safely utilize these agents.

The neighborhood-level child opportunity index (COI) has been used in policy-based initiatives to identify and improve low-resource neighborhoods in order to impact child health. Understanding of how changes in COI can impact child growth, however, is lacking. Participants were 1124 children from the Family Life Project, a longitudinal birth cohort of families in rural, high-poverty areas. Youth anthropometrics were measured at eight assessments (ages 2 months through 12 years). Neighborhood COI was obtained at seven assessments (ages 2 months through 5 years) and used to create seven trajectory groups representing a change in COI: stayed low on all seven assessments, stayed moderate, stayed high, left low, declined from moderate, declined from high, and bounced around. As hypothesized, moving from high COI neighborhoods into lower COI neighborhoods was associated with greater BMI growth and increased risk for obesity and severe obesity at 12 years. As hypothesized, the opposite effect, which approached significance at = 0.056, was found among children who moved from low COI neighborhoods into higher COI neighborhoods. Specifically, moving into higher COI neighborhoods was associated with reduced BMI growth, and lower risk for severe obesity at 12 years. Moving into higher COI neighborhoods may be associated with healthier BMI growth, while the opposite effect may occur when moving into lower COI neighborhoods. Given the use of the COI in public health initiatives and growing evidence for its potential positive impact on child growth, future work is needed to replicate our findings among larger diverse samples.

There have been mixed findings on the relationships between childhood obesity and macroscale retail food environments. The current study investigates associations of the neighborhood retail food environment with changes in children's weight status over 6 years in the Kansas City Metropolitan area. Anthropometrics and home addresses were collected during routine well-child visits in a large pediatric hospital ( = 4493; >75% were Black or Latinx children). Children had measures collected during two time periods ([Time 1] 2012-2014, [Time 2] 2017-2019). Establishment-level food environment data were used to determine the number of four types of food outlets within a 0.5-mile buffer from the children's residence: supermarkets/large grocery stores, convenience stores/small grocery stores, limited-service restaurants, and full-service restaurants. Children who moved residences between periods were "movers" ( = 1052). Associations of baseline and changes in food environment status with Time 2 weight status were assessed using mixed-effects models. Movers who experienced no change in the number of convenience stores or small grocery stores within a 0.5-mile of their home had increased likelihoods of having overweight/obesity and less favorable BMIz changes, compared with movers who experienced a decrease in convenience stores/small grocery stores within a 0.5-mile distance. No associations were observed among nonmovers. Findings suggest that moving to an area with fewer unhealthy retail food outlets (e.g., convenience stores) is associated with a lower risk of obesity in children. Future research is needed to determine whether larger-scale changes to the retail food environment within a neighborhood can support children's healthy weight.

Neighborhood environment, which includes multiple social drivers of health, has been associated with a higher incidence of chronic conditions in adult cohorts. We examine if neighborhood environment is associated with glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and body mass index (BMI) as a percentage of the 95th percentile (BMIp95) for youth with overweight and obesity. Cohort study using electronic health record data from a large Midwestern Children's Hospital. Youth aged 8-16 years qualified for the study with a documented BMI ≥ 85th percentile and two HbA1c test results between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2019. Neighborhood environment was measured using area deprivation index (ADI). Of the 1,309 youth that met eligibility, mean age was 14.0 ± 3.2 years, 58% female, 48% Black, and 39% White. At baseline, the average (SD) of BMIp95 was 126.1 (26.14) and HbA1c5.4 (0.46). 670 (51%) lived in a more deprived (MD) area. The median time to follow-up was 15-months. Youth that lived in a MD area had a significantly higher follow-up HbA1c (β = 0.034, = 0.03, 95% confidence interval [CI]: [0.00, 0.06]) and BMIp95 (β = 1.283, = 0.03, 95% CI: [0.13, 2.44]). An increase in BMIp95 was associated with worse HbA1c for most youth that lived in a MD area. Youth that lived in an MD area had a small but statistically significant higher level of HbA1c and BMIp95 at follow-up. Public health surveillance systems should include ADI as a risk factor for longitudinal progression of cardiometabolic diseases.

Childhood obesity disproportionately affects Hispanic families and remains an unresolved public health concern. Interventions to enhance health-related parenting practices may be a promising strategy to lower the risk for childhood obesity. However, there are scarce data on which parenting practices would be culturally relevant and contribute to lower the risk for childhood obesity among Hispanic families in the United States. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed. An electronic database search of records was carried out in PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus to synthesize studies assessing associations or intervention effects of parenting practices on child BMI or other anthropometric measure among Hispanic parent-child dyads aged ≥18 and 2-12 years, respectively. Of 1055 unique records identified, 17 studies were included. Most of these studies used a cross-sectional design ( = 10) and child BMI z-scores or BMI-for-age-sex percentiles as the outcome variable. Parenting practices to lower the risk for child overweight/obesity among Hispanic families included setting limits and providing routines (e.g., limited screentime), supporting a healthy lifestyle and physical activity (e.g., providing transportation to places for children's physical activities), and parenting feeding or diet-related practices (e.g., control the foods that children eat). Parenting practices that support healthy behaviors may be components of interventions to lower the risk for childhood obesity among Hispanic families.

Poor body image is a prominent issue affecting youth. In this nationally representative online survey, we explored parents' concerns about their child's appearance, as well as their perceptions of their child's body image concerns and related behaviors and interactions with others. Among the 1653 respondents, weight was parents' most cited body image concern, while more parents perceived that their child was self-conscious about their weight than there were parents concerned about their child's weight. Parental perceptions related to their child's body image can inform providers' efforts to address poor body image, such as around weight, and improve the health and self-esteem of their pediatric patients.

Maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) is positively associated with offspring overweight. We investigated behaviors that may confer resilience to childhood overweight development by examining appetitive traits in at-risk children born to mothers with pre-pregnancy overweight. This secondary analysis included children born to mothers with pre-pregnancy BMI ≥25 kg/m from the Intervention Nurses Start Infants Growing on Health Trajectories Study ( = 84). Mothers completed the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ) at child ages 30 months and 6 years. -tests assessed differences in appetitive traits (CEBQ subscale scores) between children with overweight (BMI ≥85th percentile) and without overweight (BMI <85th percentile). The 87 children (41 female [47%]) included in this analysis were predominantly White and non-Hispanic (93%), and 34 (39%) had overweight at age 6 years. Compared with children with overweight, children without overweight had mothers who reported greater child slowness in eating when their child was 30 months ( = 0.04) and 6 years old ( = 0.004). Similarly, mothers of children without overweight reported higher child satiety responsiveness, lower enjoyment of food, and lower food responsiveness ( < 0.001 for all) when their child was 6 years old. Eating slower, higher satiety responsiveness, lower enjoyment of food, and lower food responsiveness were protective factors against developing overweight among those with familial risk. Strategies to promote the development of slower eating and satiety responsiveness could be explored as part of obesity prevention strategies.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends all children receive care in a patient-centered medical home. With weight stigma potentially hampering family-centered communication in the care of children with overweight or obesity, we aimed to determine how children's weight status was associated with access to a medical home and its components. We analyzed 2016-2021 data on children age 10-17 years in the National Survey of Children's Health. Children's weight status was classified as underweight/normal weight, overweight, or obese, based on caregiver-reported height and weight. Outcomes included receiving care in a medical home and each category of the medical home definition (personal health care provider, usual source of health care, family/patient-centered care, care coordination, and assistance with referrals). Based on the study sample ( = 105,111), we estimated that 16% of children were overweight and 16% were obese, while 42% had access to a patient-centered medical home. On multivariable analysis, obesity compared to normal weight was associated with lower access to a medical home (odds ratio: 0.87; 95% confidence intervals: 0.80, 0.95; = 0.003) and, specifically, with lower access to family-centered care and assistance with care coordination. Children with obesity encounter barriers to accessing care meeting medical home criteria, with one plausible mechanism being that weight stigma disrupts family-centered communication. Lower access to care coordination among children with obesity may also indicate a need to improve the integration of obesity-related specialty care with pediatric primary care services.

The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of anthropometric measurements between two trained anthropometrists working in a team and one trained anthropometrist working with a child's parent/caregiver in a primary health care setting. An observational study to determine measurement reliability was conducted in a primary care child research network in Canada. In total, 120 children 0-5 years old had their anthropometric measurement taken twice by two trained anthropometrists working in a team and twice by one trained anthropometrist working with a child's parent/caregiver. Inter- and intra-observer reliability was calculated using the technical error of measurement (TEM), relative TEM (%TEM), and the coefficient of reliability (R). The %TEM values for length/height and weight were <2%, and the R coefficient values were >0.99, indicating a high degree of inter- and intra-observer reliability. The TEM values demonstrated a high degree of reliability for inter- and intra-observer measurement of length/height in comparison with other anthropometric measurement parameters. However, there was greater variation seen in the length measurement for children 0 to <2 years of age and in arm circumference measurement across both age-groups. This study suggests that anthropometric measurement taken by one trained anthropometrist with the assistance of a parent/caregiver is reliable. These findings provide evidence to support inclusion of a child's parent/caregiver with anthropometric measurement collection in clinical setting(s) to enhance feasibility and efficiency and reduce the research costs of including a second trained anthropometrist.

Equitable access to affordable, effective, and safe obesity prevention and treatment remains a problem for many children and families in the U.S. In 2023, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published its first Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) for pediatric obesity evaluation and treatment, aiding the field's awareness of effective approaches. CDC has supported the adapting and packaging of existing, effective Family Healthy Weight Programs that deliver CPG-recommended intensive behavioral treatment for kids. Currently, at least six family-centered programs are recognized by CDC and can be implemented in clinical and community settings to support child health. CDC and other national partners are coordinating the movement of these research-tested FHWPs into public health practice. This work includes implementing FHWPs in over 60 US communities and supporting national-level infrastructure improvements. CDC is committed to engaging with stakeholders to help scale proven strategies that ensure all children receive the care they need to thrive.

Factors associated with change in percent body fat (%BF) of children in pediatric weight management (PWM) care may differ from those associated with change in weight status. To describe %BF and weight status at initial visits to 14 PWM sites, identify differences by sex, and evaluate factors associated with change over 6 months. Initial visits of 2496 males and 2821 females aged 5-18 years were evaluated. %BF was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Sex-specific logistic regressions [806 males (32.3%), 837 females (29.7%)] identified associations with primary outcomes: lower %BF and metabolically impactful ≥5-point drop in percent of the 95th BMI percentile (%BMIp95) over 6 months. At the initial visit, males had lower %BF and higher %BMIp95 than females. Over 6 months, males had significantly ( < 0.001) greater median drop in %BF (-1.4% vs. -0.4%) and %BMIp95 (-3.0% vs. -1.9%) and a higher frequency of decreased %BF (68.9% vs. 57.8%), but similar percentage with ≥5-point %BMIp95 drop (36.5% vs. 32.4%; = 0.080). For males, factors significantly associated with decreased %BF (older age, ≥6 visits, lack of developmental or depression/anxiety concerns) were not related to having a ≥5-point %BMIp95 drop. For females, lack of depression/anxiety concern was significantly associated with decreased %BF but was not associated with ≥5-point %BMIp95 drop. There are differences by sex in initial visit %BF and %BMIp95 and in characteristics associated with changes in these measures. PWM interventions should consider evaluating body composition and sex-stratifying outcomes.

Understanding social determinants of health (SDOH) that may be risk factors for childhood obesity is important to developing targeted interventions to prevent obesity. Prior studies have examined these risk factors, mostly examining obesity as a static outcome variable. We extracted electronic health record data from 2012 to 2019 for a children's health system that includes two hospitals and wide network of outpatient clinics spanning five East Coast states in the United States. Using data-driven and algorithmic clustering, we have identified distinct BMI-percentile classification groups in children from 0 to 7 years of age. We used two separate algorithmic clustering methods to confirm the robustness of the identified clusters. We used multinomial logistic regression to examine the associations between clusters and 27 neighborhood SDOHs and compared positive and negative SDOH characteristics separately. From the cohort of 36,910 children, five BMI-percentile classification groups emerged: always having obesity ( = 429; 1.16%), overweight most of the time ( = 15,006; 40.65%), increasing BMI percentile ( = 9,060; 24.54%), decreasing BMI percentile ( = 5,058; 13.70%), and always normal weight ( = 7,357; 19.89%). Compared to children in the decreasing BMI percentile and always normal weight groups, children in the other three groups were more likely to live in neighborhoods with higher poverty, unemployment, crowded households, single-parent households, and lower preschool enrollment. Neighborhood-level SDOH factors have significant associations with children's BMI-percentile classification and changes in classification. This highlights the need to develop tailored obesity interventions for different groups to address the barriers faced by communities that can impact the weight and health of children living within them.

The BMI z-score is a standardized measure of weight status and weight change in children and adolescents. BMI z-scores from various growth references are often considered comparable, and differences among them are underappreciated. This study reanalyzed data from a weight management clinical study of liraglutide in pubertal adolescents with obesity using growth references from CDC 2000, CDC Extended, World Health Organization (WHO), and International Obesity Task Force. BMI z-score treatment differences varied 2-fold from -0.13 (CDC 2000) to -0.26 (WHO) overall and varied almost 4-fold from -0.05 (CDC 2000) to -0.19 (WHO) among adolescents with high baseline BMI z-score. Depending upon the growth reference used, BMI z-score endpoints can produce highly variable treatment estimates and alter interpretations of clinical meaningfulness. BMI z-scores cited without the associated growth reference cannot be accurately interpreted.

Families with children who have or are at risk for obesity have differing needs and a one-size-fits-all approach can negatively impact program retention, engagement, and outcomes. Individually tailored interventions could engage families and children through identifying and prioritizing desired areas of focus. Despite literature defining tailoring as individualized treatment informed by assessment of behaviors, intervention application varies. This review aims to exhibit the use of the term "tailor" in pediatric obesity interventions and propose a uniform definition. We conducted a scoping review following PRISMA-ScR guidelines among peer-reviewed pediatric obesity prevention and management interventions published between 1995 and 2021. We categorized 69 studies into 6 groups: (1) individually tailored interventions, (2) computer-tailored interventions/tailored health messaging, (3) a protocolized group intervention with a tailored component, (4) only using the term tailor in the title, abstract, introduction, or discussion, e) using the term tailor to describe another term, and (5) interventions described as culturally tailored. The scoping review exhibited a range of uses and lack of explicit definitions of tailoring in pediatric obesity interventions including some that deviate from individualized designs. Effective tailored interventions incorporated validated assessments for behaviors and multilevel determinants, and recipient-informed choice of target behavior(s) and programming. We urge interventionists to use tailoring to describe individualized, assessment-driven interventions and to clearly define how an intervention is tailored. This can elucidate the role of tailoring and its potential for addressing the heterogeneity of behavioral and social determinants for the prevention and management of pediatric obesity.

The objectives of the study were (1) to assess whether resting energy expenditure (REE) equations have comparable validity for adolescents with overweight/obesity vs. adolescents with healthy weight and (2) to examine determinants of measured REE in adolescents with overweight/obesity vs. adolescents with healthy weight. Ten equations were used to predict REE for 109 adolescents (70% males; 36.7% with overweight/obesity); 95% equivalence testing was used to assess how well each equation agreed with the criterion measure of indirect calorimetry. Linear regression models were fitted to examine how much REE variance was accounted for by age, sex, race, fat-free mass (FFM), and fat mass. For adolescents with healthy weight, all ten equations were significantly equivalent to the criterion measure within ±8.4% ( < 0.05), whereas for participants with overweight/obesity, only three equations were equivalent within the same range ( < 0.05). Controlling for age, sex, race, fat mass, and FFM accounted for 74% of REE variance. FFM explained the greatest amount (26%) of variance in REE, while weight status itself explained an additional 22%. Prediction equations tend to be more accurate for adolescents with healthy weight than adolescents with overweight/obesity unless the original sample specifically included participants with overweight/obesity. Determinants of REE are similar regardless of weight status.

: Adolescents' perceived responsibility for weight management behaviors has yet to be studied in relation to bariatric surgery. The current study examined perceived responsibility to pursue bariatric surgery and engage in specific weight management behaviors among adolescents seeking bariatric surgery and its associations with demographic, family support, and eating disorder symptoms. : Data were collected using retrospective chart review of adolescent bariatric surgery candidates presenting to a tertiary interdisciplinary clinic. Data included demographics and adolescents' self-report of (1) perceived responsibility (, primarily adolescent; primarily parent; shared) for the decision to pursue bariatric surgery and weight management behaviors, (2) family support for eating and exercise behaviors, and (3) eating disorder symptoms. Analyses included one-way analysis of covariance, chi-squared tests, and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Participants reporting primarily teen or shared responsibility for seeking bariatric surgery were older than those reporting primarily parent responsibility ( = 0.023). Teens perceiving primary responsibility for their own healthy eating reported less family encouragement for healthy eating ( = 0.011) and more eating disorder symptoms ( = 0.002) than those reporting primarily parent or shared responsibility. Teens reporting primary responsibility for exercise reported less family encouragement for healthy eating ( = 0.012) compared with those reporting shared responsibility. : This study is the first to provide a description of health behavior responsibilities in a sample of adolescents with severe obesity seeking bariatric surgery. Not only will these insights improve our understanding of this population, but it can also inform presurgical discussions with adolescents and their parents.

Interventions in community settings, where children spend substantial out of school time, may enhance access to evidence-based lifestyle interventions. The Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence (BGCL) and New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center at Boston Children's Hospital partnered to revise, enact, and evaluate BGCL's existing Healthy Living Club and then flexibly expand the program to increase access. The BGCL is within walking distance of three public housing communities and easily accessible to members, of whom 90% identify as Hispanic. The interventions comprised nutrition sessions and either fitness activity sessions (N+FA Cycle 1, = 63, 26 hours; N+FA Cycle 2, = 94, 27 hours) or academic basketball practices (N+AB Cycle 2, = 99, 72-80 hours), leveraging time already in the schedule where fitness could be intentionally promoted by coaches. Among children aged 8-15 years, mean [95% confidence interval (CI)] changes (beginning to end) in percentage above the BMI median were significant [N+FA Cycle 1: -2.4 (-4.1, -0.8); N+FA Cycle 2: -4.3 (-5.4, -3.1); N+AB Cycle 2: -5.5 (-6.9, -4.1)]. Lifestyle interventions, implemented with flexibility in existing programs, had beneficial impact, indicating potential of community-academic partnerships.