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Screening for Overweight in Children and Adolescents: A Call to Action

children who would be targeted by screening. Longitudinal studies that include simultaneous assessment of many potential risk factors for obesity among children and adolescents are needed to address the issue of the impact of risk factors other than BMI alone on children’s long-term health. The Institute of Medicine recently issued a focused action plan with goals for preventing obesity in children and youth.6 These goals include improving the evidence base and concurrently implementing population and individual strategies based on the best available evidence to address policy, environmental, and behavioral factors associated with obesity. It is encouraging that the Centers for Disease Control’s Community Task Force did find evidence to support public health interventions to prevent and mitigate the effects of obesity in the population.5,7 Although the “I” recommendation is of concern to pediatricians who are interested in obesity screening and care about the problem of childhood overweight, there is much that can be done. Clinicians must work with individual patients and their families. Clinicians can also use their considerable influence to advocate for resources to expand their knowledge and partner with community organizations to address the unanswered questions in the prevention and treatment of this critical public health issue.