Pediatric overweight or obesity: does the label really matter?
OBJECTIVE
To discuss the issue of early identification of overweight and obesity in infants and young children and provide some clinical recommendations based on the current evidence and the World Health Organization's (WHO) newly released guidelines for growth and development.


METHODS
Comparison of the growth charts from the WHO and the Centers for Disease Control as well as current literature.


CONCLUSIONS
Although healthcare providers and the general public recognize overweight and obesity as serious problems, there is still disagreement on what constitutes obesity in infants and young children and when and how to intervene. More research on interventions and outcomes is particularly needed.


CONCLUSIONS
The primary care provider deals with the sequelae of obesity on a daily basis. Some recommendations are provided for nurse practitioners who care for infants and children based on current evidence and expert opinion.
Waldrop
Julee
J
School of Nursing, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514, USA. jwaldrop@unc.edu
Ferguson
Laurie Anne
LA
D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D015362:Child Nutrition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D002675:Child, Preschool; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000458:organization & administration*; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D015995:Prevalence; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D012016:Reference Values; D012660:Semantics; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology