This section of The Medline Plus is a comprehensive resource, offering current scientific and medical information for parents and health professionals on this serious childhood health issue.

The Medline Plus, a service of the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, has a number of sections related to obesity. This section focuses on childhood nutrition, with information for parents and health professionals. It is updated regularly with information from the scientific and medical community.

Success stories from schools that have improved student nutrition, free downloadable resources, fact sheets and lot of information on what students are eating and drinking in school are all available from this project of the CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

Research has shown that the early months and years are important in laying the groundwork for healthy weight in childhood and beyond. This section of The Medline Plus provides current updated information on important topics in the area of infant and toddler nutrition.

A searchable database of community programs and efforts to increase physical activity and improve nutrition in our nation's youth is one element of this site. It also functions as a network for programs involved in addressing these issues.

For the first time in two centuries, the current generation of children in America may have shorter life expectancies than their parents, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine. The report and the accompanying editorial contend that the rapid rise in childhood obesity, if left unchecked, could shorten life spans by as much as five years.

Editorial: http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/352/11/1135

This New England Journal of Medicine article, intended for primary care physicians, presents evidence supporting various strategies for the assessment and treatment of youth obesity, followed by a review of formal guidelines. It recommends specific interventions in terms of prevention, diet and activity, and weight goals.

This article presents guidelines for cardiovascular health promotion in all children and adolescents, for identification of children and adolescents at high risk of cardiovascular disease, and for intervention in children and adolescents with identified risk.

A statement for healthcare professionals, but useful for parents and educators, from the Committee on Atherosclerosis and Hypertension in the Young of the Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young and the Nutrition Committee, American Heart Association . The article defines obesity and provides discussion of how common the problem is, what the health effects are, and how to prevent it.

While most comprehensive health education programs, nutrition education efforts, and campaigns to improve school food have focused on the K-12 population, this study looks at menus from preschool day care programs. The authors found that an analysis of menus from preschool day care programs showed levels of total fat and saturated fat content of exceeding those recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The article, published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, demonstrates that careful intervention aimed at preschool food service can be a safe and effective way of making sure more children consume heart-healthy meals and snacks.