Kids and Health Care: Early Recognition

More regular, preventive checkups would do a lot for battling the growing phenomenon of childhood obesity in the U.S and other developed countries.

An excessive rate of weight gain relative to linear growth -- that is, height -- is sometimes an indicator of obesity; sometimes, though, it's just a side-effect of growth spurts. If a pediatrician sees a patient two to four times a year, he or she will have enough information to distinguish between a growth spurt and a burgeoning weight problem.

If the doctor only sees the child every other year, or less, there's not usually enough data to make useful conclusions.

Most pediatricians and public health experts believe that the high rates of obesity among American kids is partly due to social trends and partly due to the basic health ignorance of many parents.

As we've seen elsewhere, the social pronouncements of public health professionals are often influenced by trends among welfare-recipients. Research funding is often tied to assistance programs, so the experts' world view can become skewed by welfare.

One likely benefit of preventive medicine is that it involves an educational component for both children and their parents. Looking at a Body Mass Index (BMI) percentile or a height/weight chart a couple of times a year makes it hard to plead ignorance about your child's weight issues.

The American Association of Pediatrics has spent a lot of time generating talking points for how its members can broach sensitive topics with parents. For example:

Discussions to raise parental awareness should be conducted in a nonjudgmental, blame-free manner so that unintended negative impact on the child's self-concept is avoided...pediatricians are strongly encouraged to incorporate assessment and anticipatory guidance about diet, weight and physical activity into routine clinical practice, being careful to discuss habits rather than focusing on habits to avoid stigmatizing the child, adolescent or family.