Primary Prevention Insights

Once obesity appears, it is difficult to reverse. Overweight infants/preschoolers tend to become overweight school children. Who frequently become overweight adolescents and, in turn, overweight adults. Thus it is imperative to prevent obesity as early in life as possible. Unfortunately, obesity diagnosis is difficult in young children, and both pediatricians and parents are reluctant to “label” an infant or young child as obese. Lack of diagnosis compounds the difficulty preventing obesity early in life. There are few obesity prevention interventions for infants: breastfeeding, no solid food supplementation until age 6 months, promoting active play and sleep. Obesity interventions for preschoolers include promoting a varied diet full of fruits and vegetables, restricting television and encouraging physical activity. Diet and not physical activity appears to be the primary determinant of obesity in infants; however, as the child grows, promotion of both healthy diet and physical activity becomes an important obesity prevention tool.