For a super-obese child or teenager, a live-in rehab program at a residential treatment center is a much better solution than bariatric surgery, as we have mentioned before. Unfortunately, such a thorough, comprehensive program is necessarily expensive …

The importance of parents can never be overestimated, especially when it comes to preventing childhood obesity. For the Sydney Morning Herald, Isabel Hayes reported on a study completed by Australia’s University of Wollongong and University of Newcastl …

For morbidly obese children and teenagers, the residential treatment center might seem like an extreme solution, but it looks very attractive compared to the other extreme solution, bariatric surgery. An in-patient detox program is less expensive than …

Humans have a built-in susceptibility to addiction and, as we have discussed before, the foodlike substances known as hedonic or hyper-palatable foods are purposely designed and engineered to exploit that addiction-prone tendency. Hedonic foods are, ba …

Can childhood obesity be related to sunlight? It just might be, according to several studies considered by Reuben Chow in Natural News. Several bodily organs and functions intimately related to obesity are influenced by vitamin D. The reporter says, Th …

Spoiler alert: We’re going to start with the end of this article by Martina M. Cartwright, Ph.D., R.D., followed by a relevant real-life fact. The title is, “Separating Super Obese Kids from Their Parents: Solution or Problem?,” and it was published in …

In July, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a subscription-only article by Lindsey Murtagh, J.D., M.P.H., and David S. Ludwig, M.D., Ph.D. It is understandable that a doctor and a lawyer have collaborated on a subject that …

The National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) describes itself this way: Our mission is to ensure that all children, youth, and families have access to high quality programs, activities, and opportunities during non-school hours. We believe that …

Barbara Ehrenreich has researched and written extensively about health issues. Nickel and Dimed in America, her book about the working class, commanded significant attention, and celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. In a Facebook comment, Ehrenre …

Not long ago, we mentioned that Dr. Pretlow’s paper, “Addiction To Highly Pleasurable Food as a Cause of The Childhood Obesity Epidemic: A Qualitative Internet Study,” has been published online by Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment and Preventi …

We have talked about how parents enable the dependency on hedonic foods by keeping junk food around the house. Unfortunately, that’s not the only way in which careless or misguided parents can hurt their children’s chances for a long life with a health …

In the struggle to end childhood obesity, one thing parents can do is give themselves a break and not feel bad because they’ve passed along some less-than-optimal heredity. As Psych Central News’ associate news editor Traci Pedersen reported, Unhealthy …

For WAMU 88.5, a Washington, D.C., public radio station, journalist Kavitha Cardoza and producer Ginger Moored conducted interviews with obese children and their family members and doctors. This is typical subject matter for WAMU (licensed to American …

In July, U.S. Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge introduced House Resolution 339 that would designate September 2011 as the second annual National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month (COAM), as seen in this short announcement. It was she, along with U.S. Rep. …

Back about a year ago, we looked at the efforts being made to boot Ronald McDonald out of his job as spokesclown for fast food, especially when kids are the audience. After the company had denied that Ronald sells food to kids, Corporate Accountability …

Even though it has a plural name, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is one big federal agency — a big federal agency with a sense of humor. Just a couple of months ago (May 2011), a Public Health Matters blog post written by Ali S. Khan w …

The magazine Youth Outlook is taking a stand against obesity with its guerrilla marketing campaign against soda pop, among other things. The publication’s departments encompass several “special beats,” including Health, Youth Culture, and Education, al …

As it turns out, there are plenty of ways in which we, as parents, can help our children avoid or escape childhood obesity, and Childhood Obesity News has highlighted many of them. Of course, setting an example (a.k.a. “modeling” the desired behavior) …

We have looked into Faze Magazine, among others, and today’s project is to poke around a bit more in the Open Directory’s list of teen magazines and e-zines. When talking amongst themselves, what do teenagers say about obesity? The well-established pri …

This has been an overview of what happens at the intersection of electronic media and the struggles of individuals to deal with their weight issues, body image issues, food issues, addiction issues, food addiction issues, and the obesity epidemic in ge …

What kinds of suggestions do recovering food addicts pass along to each other through the numerous communication channels that make up the world of social networking? “Fashion Meets Food,” suggests a book called 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food …

So, we were discussing the positive effects of social networking via electronic devices, and how the Pew Research Center’s findings show, among other things, that social networkers are more likely to be politically active. This is a good thing, because …

All over the Web, people are sharing thoughts and emotions about their unhealthful and unnatural relationship with food, and especially their realization that food addiction is real. Unfortunately, many of these confessions are long on what the afflict …

As with any other subject important to humans, personal testimony carries (excuse the expression) a lot of weight. Today’s peek at social networking includes examples of individual stories meant to hearten and encourage others who have had enough of ob …

We talked about the Internet & American Life Project from Pew Research Center, which found that online social networking has generally good effects on people. Of course, it would not be at all surprising if obese people excelled at electronic commu …

Dr. Pretlow sees two main issues in dealing with the childhood obesity epidemic. To fight it, we need to: 1) Get obese kids unaddicted to highly palatable foods; and 2) Prevent healthy kids from becoming addicted to start with. We have been looking at …

The overall mission of the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project is to explore the impact of the Internet on children, families, and communities. Last month, they released the report “Social networking sites and our lives.” The 85- …

A reader who wanted to be anonymous wrote by email: So many doctors and parents are quick to run for that medicine cabinet! My niece is on so many prescriptions, it is startling, to say the least. Gross amount, seriously! All of them for ‘behavior’ pro …

If you are in the United Kingdom, you’re in the midst of the National Childhood Obesity Week (July 4-10), originated by a group called MEND, which stand for “Mind, Exercise, Nutrition… Do it!” Events planned for this year included a new MEND Olympics p …

The word “fasting” may call up visions of a strict religious practice or some elaborate health-oriented routine involving a carefully calibrated number of ounces of fresh juice per day. A person might think, “I don’t know anybody who does that.” Maybe …