Are there affordable and effective programs to reduce childhood obesity that can be reproduced on a large scale?

For severely obese children, a medical treatment program is often necessary, such as the one we offer at the Optimal Weight for Life (OWL) clinic at Boston Children's Hospital. But this approach can't be translated to all overweight children in the US -- there simply aren't enough pediatric specialists. Rather, the focus must be prevention, targeting the key drivers of obesity on an individual, community and national level. The place to start is better funding school nutrition and PE programs. Other good investments include building a social infrastructure -- parks, playgrounds, bike paths -- to promote an active lifestyle; redirecting farm subsidies away from the calorie dense commodities and toward more nutritious produce; and banning food advertising to children.

Optimal Weight for Life Program: [ Ссылка ]

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