Childhood Obesity Guidelines

US task force issues new guidelines to fight childhood obesity.
The AP (1/18, Tanner) reported that the US Preventive Services Task Force on Monday issued new guidelines that say "school-aged youngsters and teens should be screened for obesity and sent to intensive behavior treatment if they need to lose weight -- a move that could transform how doctors deal with overweight children." Task Force Chairman Dr. Ned Calonge said the recommendations showed what type of programs can work, but "not whether or not those services are currently available."
USA Today (1/18, Hellmich) added that the USPSTF reviewed "more than a dozen studies" and concluded that obese children "who participated in moderate to high-intensity weight-management programs (frequently with their parents) for 25 or more hours over a six-month period often had improvements in their weight." Reuters (1/19), the Los Angeles Times (1/18, Dennis) "Booster Shots" blog, and the Baltimore Sun (1/18, Brewington) also covered the story.