Prevention
7
Î ES suggests that clinicians promote and participate in the ongoing
healthy dietary and activity education of children and adolescents,
parents, and communities, and encourage schools to provide adequate
education about healthy eating. (2|⊕
)
Î ES recommends that clinicians prescribe and support healthy eating
habits such as:
• avoiding the consumption of calorie-dense, nutrient-poor foods (e.g., sugar-
sweetened beverages, sports drinks, fruit drinks, most "fast foods" or those with
added table sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, high-fat or high-sodium processed
foods, and calorie-dense snacks)
• encouraging the consumption of whole fruits rather than fruit juices. (1|⊕⊕
)
Î ES recommends that children and adolescents engage in at least
20 minutes, optimally 60 minutes, of vigorous physical activity ≥5 days
per week to improve metabolic health and reduce the likelihood of
developing obesity. (1|⊕⊕
)
Î ES suggests fostering healthy sleep patterns in children and
adolescents to decrease the likelihood of developing obesity due to
changes in caloric intake and metabolism related to disordered sleep.
(2|⊕⊕
)
Î ES recommends balancing unavoidable technology-related screen time
in children and adolescents with increased opportunities for physical
activity. (1|⊕⊕
)
Î ES suggests that a clinician's obesity prevention efforts enlist the
entire family rather than only the individual patient. (2|⊕
)
Î ES suggests that clinicians assess family function and make
appropriate referrals to address family stressors to decrease the
development of obesity. (2|⊕⊕
)
Î ES suggests using school-based programs and community
engagement in pediatric obesity prevention. (2|⊕⊕
)
Î ES recommends using comprehensive behavior-changing interventions
to prevent obesity. Such programs would be integrated with school- or
community-based programs to reach the widest audience. (1|⊕⊕
)
Î ES recommends breast-feeding in infants based on numerous
health benefits. However, we can only suggest breast-feeding for the
prevention of obesity, as evidence supporting the association between
breast-feeding and subsequent obesity is inconsistent. (2|⊕
)
