Toph Eggers Dave Eggers is an American publisher, author, editor, philanthropist, and half a dozen other things. In 2005, Time Magazine named him one of the “100 Most Influential People.” In 2008, Utne Reader named him one of the “50 Visionaries Who Ar …

Last week, Childhood Obesity News explored the four individual stories of obese kids from the film Bite Size: Emily, Moy, Davion, and KeAnna. Guess what just happened over at iTunes? Bite Size has arrived there. We have said this before, but it is wort …

The introductory material about Bite Size can be found in the earlier Childhood Obesity News post about Emily, one of four young people whose stories are told by the film. We also “met” Moy, a gaming enthusiast and novice filmmaker. Today’s discussion …

Bite Size is a captivating film that follows the weight loss journeys of four American kids. Childhood Obesity News already took a close look at two of them, Emily in Florida and Moy in Southern California. The other two young people are both from Miss …

Moy (short for Moyses) is one of the four young subjects of Bite Size, a very engaging movie that lets the kids and the grownups all speak their own truths. (Childhood Obesity News  has already looked at Emily’s story, and will look at the other two in …

Can a mother make her child morbidly obese? Mothers are easily blamed for anything, rightly or wrongly, for reasons that seem obvious to those who do it. Childhood Obesity News related the tragic story of morbidly obese Texan Hector Garcia, who died la …

Happy holidays! It’s a tough time of year for people who struggle with food addiction and obesity. Here are some assorted suggestions from many sources. No single one will keep your child from becoming obese or solve her or his existing problem. But ev …

The day that follows a big holiday blowout is perfect for good intentions, and most of us formulate resolutions with ease. We decide to take the high road, to do everything right from here on out. But how? The advice for the day after Thanksgiving is t …

A few days from now, many Americans will face an annual celebratory gathering of family and/or friends that should be pure pleasure. Instead, Thanksgiving too often provides traumatic difficulties for anyone who wants to exercise sovereignty over subst …

Mom had to work on Halloween, so Dad fixed up our party. While it was still light out, five of my friends came over in their costumes. There were some carrot sticks and celery sticks for us to eat, which was kind of was lame, but Larry and Charlotte bo …

Dr. Pretlow happened upon an interesting American Dental Association study that has positive implications for someday transforming Halloween into a sugar-free festival. The Halloween Consumer Study asked kids what parts of Halloween they like most, wit …

First, before children set out on their trick-or-treat rounds, or before they go to a party, or before you host your own party, do your best to fill them up with a good meal. Sure, kids are capable of eating an enormous amount of attractive junk, but w …

Childhood Obesity News has been exploring the possibility of a society-wide adjustment in the theory and practice of Halloween. Every year it becomes more popular as a secular holiday with an enormous potential for enjoyment. As individuals and familie …

Dr. Pretlow and many more doctors, members of other health and caring professions, parents, and anti-obesity activists — what do they all have in common? A hope that Halloween can be transmogrified from an excuse to consume mass quantities of sweets …

Anyone who hasn’t yet heard enough about Halloween is in the right place, because Childhood Obesity News has plenty more on tap. Parents, think back to previous Halloweens, especially last year. Did you make any notes to yourself about doing things dif …

Halloween kicks off eating season, the first of a series of occasions where food is the signifier of love, togetherness, hospitality, generosity, and regret. Anyone who gains from 7 to 10 pounds over the winter holiday season is normal, and a dismaying …

Last time, Childhood Obesity News explored the idea of passive enabling, which can mean many things, such as letting obesogenic conditions continue without interference. Parents are called upon to be agents of change, but if they are not even aware of …

We are almost to the end of Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, but don’t be fooled — we need to keep that awareness level high during the other 11 months, too. A parent might think, “What’s the beef? I never tied my kid down, stuck a funnel in his mo …

The “Let’s Move” campaign is said to aim for a return to the normal childhood obesity rate of 5 percent, as defined by how it was in the late 1970s. In a general sense, efforts to turn back the clock inevitably fail. More specifically, the phraseology …

Mothers need to be sensitive, and toddlers need to feel emotionally secure. If these factors are not in place, the child is at risk of being obese by age 15. This was a conclusion reached in the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, which en …

Some of the things mothers are blamed for may not, strictly speaking, be their fault. For instance, children of single mothers are more likely to develop obesity, but often, single motherhood is not a choice on the woman’s part. Another condition that …

Registered dietitian Maryann Jacobsen runs a great website with consistently interesting and helpful articles, often in list format. One such list names 10 verbal mistakes that parents can make in the course of trying to prevent or change the course of …

Not long ago, Erica Palan found it troubling that “America is waging a war on Krimpets.” This is a brand of snack cake, and the Disney empire had decided no longer to carry advertising for it. But Palan believes that such an attitude will backfire and …

Registered dietician Maryann Jacobsen has gathered a generous selection of excellent suggestions for parents, and backs them all up with references. She places a great deal of importance on communal meals served at stated times, and discourages snackin …

Last time, Childhood Obesity News talked about a controversial public service announcement that Dr. Pretlow discussed in an interview. Many people interpreted the PSA as zeroing in on mothers as the root of the childhood obesity problem. For simplicity …

Happy July 4th! There’s no better way to say “Thanks!” to America than by doing a little something to end our obesity epidemic, starting with our own families. Here’s a collection of suggestions. Reduce salt intake An Australian study of 4,000 children …

Health professionals have to be very careful about assigning blame to parents. When treating an obese child, doctors and counselors can explain how the cooperation and support of the entire family are necessary. The thing they can’t say is that if the …

When we see a story headlined “Childhood obesity down more than 40 percent, new study says” and then one headlined “Local Pediatrician Sees No Decline in Childhood Obesity” and still another that declares “No ‘Mission Accomplished’ In Childhood Obesity …

Today, Childhood Obesity News recalls Dr. Pretlow’s January 2 post, “Obese Youth and Motivation,” which was written once the Australian study related to the W8Loss2Go smartphone app had been concluded. It was difficult for his team to understand why so …

Yesterday, Childhood Obesity News considered the responses gleaned by CNN reporter Todd Benjamin from an article about the concept of bribing children to lose weight. Benjamin heard back from former kids who had been paid for good grades and former kid …