Because professionals in all the soft sciences deal with humans these are the challenges they face.

Subjects in the drug trials and Dr. Pretlow’s W8Loss2Go program participants share the necessity of personal integrity, responsibility and accountability.

For decades, researchers had to rely on the flawed self-reporting to amass data about caloric consumption and calorie-burning exercise.

Obese people tend to underestimate their caloric intake and to overestimate their physical activity. People of average weight also under-report their intake.

A recent paper discusses smart devices that promote healthy behavior related to childhood obesity and provide “snacking behavior notifications” to parents.

Devices, including wearable tech, have limitations. Can gadgets be taught to meaningfully compare actionable data? And how can they used to fight obesity?

Could childhood obesity be impacted by a structured weight loss program based on the Fitbit activity tracker or other wearable technology?

Different kinds of wearable tech, including fitness trackers for kids, are employed to fight childhood obesity — some more successfully than others.

Childhood Obesity News continues to discuss studies designed to assess the usefulness of Ecological Momentary Assessment in evaluating physical activity.

Studies show that EMA works well in combination with technological data-gathering devices, and is an effective tool in evaluating physical activity.

Ecological Momentary Assessment helps researchers collect data, including factors that target behavior change for the weight-management interventions.

A subject as large as obesity is bound to attract a lot of theories. Among them is an effort to revive the “forgotten food sense.”

Having discussed the almost non-existent role of psychiatrists in treating obesity, we now look at the psychiatric or mental health nurse practitioner.

Since most obesity results from overeating, which should be defined as an eating disorder, is it most effectively treated by the mental health professionals?

A summary of the 10 things learned from an important study on obesity prevention by the state of Arkansas (with the help of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation).

EMA and EMI are being used in research to help reveal what causes the increasingly alarming childhood obesity statistics.

Ecological Momentary Assessment can stand alone as a treatment modality for obesity, without bringing pharmaceuticals or invasive procedures into the picture.

Part data-collection technique and part therapeutic modality, Ecological Momentary Assessment is adaptable to many situations, including treating obesity.

Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) cultivates self awareness and collects “ecologically valid” data, which could be useful in treating obesity.

In defeating childhood obesity, methods that work for adults, namely inpatient rehab facilities and bariatric surgery, are not always suitable for children.

How do medical professionals keep up with new developments? Certain guidelines help diagnose and prescribe treatment for obese patients more consistently.

Some studies found quality of life of obese kids to be on a par with that of juvenile chemotherapy patients.

Although the potato’s claim to be the perfect food is neither verified nor refuted here, potato lore is interesting.

Obesity bias begins early in childhood. There’s evidence that children as young as four and five respond differently to obese peers than normal-weight peers.

Trauma and epidemics are different from chronic illness because nothing is more subjective than chronic illness, and every case is rife with individual factors.

As highly-regarded authority figures doctors are often expected to lead by example, and nutrition education in med school cannot be underestimated.

The concept of one-size-fits-all solutions to obesity no longer applies. Just like with individual reactions to foods, many approaches work.

A University of Liverpool study found that when people are aware of being overweight they’re more likely to gain weight. Is ignorance bliss?

Is there such a thing as too much awareness? One study showed that people who perceive themselves to be overweight are at greater risk for weight gain.

In New Jersey, nearly one child in four is overweight or obese. The local YMCA’s Healthy U program offers parents anti-obesity guidelines.