Academy of Pediatrics
Childhood obesity has emerged in recent years as a serious problem in America, receiving widespread media coverage. According to this study from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the full extent of the childhood obesity epidemic actually is underreported.
The study found large percentages of overweight, obese and severely obese patients ages 2 to 18 never had their conditions diagnosed. The researchers, who examined 60,711 patients between 1999 and 2007, found that only 10 percent of the overweight patients were correctly diagnosed. Fifty-four percent of obese patients had their condition properly diagnosed while 76 percent of severely obese patients received a correct diagnosis.
Diagnosis, considered vital to addressing the obesity epidemic, increased throughout the study period. Free, 8 pages. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/123/1/e153.
