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.

This US Department of Agriculture resource provides web links to a wide variety of free and low-cost nutrition education resources that can be ordered or downloaded by educators for classroom use and professional training.

Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK) is a nationwide initiative dedicated to improving the health of children through better nutrition and physical activity in schools as a response to the epidemic of overweight, sedentary, and undernourished children and adolescents in the US.

The Power of Choice program was developed for after-school program leaders working with young adolescents (ages 11-13) by the Department of Health and Human Services' Food and Drug Administration and the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service. The Leaders' Guide, available on the website and in free hard copy for schools participating in USDA Child Nutrition Programs, contains everything necessary to understand and run a program. It is full of quick, simple things to do with kids and contains 10 interactive sessions. Included in the Leader's Guide are a recipe booklet, parent letter, and Nutrition Facts cards. The CD (also downloadable from the website) contains additional activities, tips for improved communication with adolescents, a training video for the adult leaders, and a song for pre-teens.

An Action for Healthy Kids special report documents how the rise in poor nutrition, inactivity and youth obesity is adversely affecting academic achievement and possibly costing schools millions of dollars each year in addition to the direct adverse health consequences.

This is a detailed and updated bibliography on youth obesity, including health consequences and prevention, developed by the Center for Health and Health Care in Schools. Many but not all of the resources are available online.