EARLIER THIS YEAR, one of the nation’s most influential medical associations released a new set of guidelines for treating childhood obesity. And it nearly broke the internet.
The recommendations, issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics for the first time in 16 years, say that pediatricians should stop taking a “watchful waiting” approach and instead embrace early, aggressive action to treat children and teens with obesity, which AAP defines as having a body mass index, or BMI, at or above the 95th percentile for a child’s age and sex. The group recommends “intensive health behavior and lifestyle treatment” for families with children as young as 2 years
