September 16, 2024 — The difference between investigative journalism and opinion writing is enormous. Both are valuable. But not interchangeable. So when Stat News publishes a lengthy opinion piece on pediatric obesity guidelines and labels it as investigative journalism, they are unfortunately dispensing spin. This is the case of a report published yesterday under a headline reading: “Pediatricians’ Obesity […]
February 26, 2024 — We are in the midst of a great leap forward in pediatric obesity – from knowing to doing what we should in caring for the young persons with this chronic disease. ATPO 2024 at the University of Minnesota Center for Pediatric Obesity Medicine (CPOM) last week made this clear. We know much more about how […]
July 4, 2023 — JAMA Pediatrics has a pair of new papers today on the cost of childhood obesity. One of them adds up the medical expenses incurred by youth aged 2 to 19. The other editorializes about determining the value of interventions to manage weight. Both of them focus on pricing childhood obesity in the present while discounting […]
May 31, 2023 — Plenty of people have strong feelings about metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) for young persons. The idea that it might even be an option for youth can inflame the passions of people who are happy to dictate what medical care should and should not be available to other people. This response drew a lot of […]
March 15, 2023 — One of the most disappointing responses to the new guideline for obesity care in children and adolescents came from the Academy of Eating Disorders. Shortly after AAP published its evidence-based guideline for obesity care, the Academy for Eating Disorders issued a press release to criticize it. But their criticism used speculation rather than data to […]
February 13, 2023 — Perhaps you’ve noticed. Our lives, especially our professional lives, have an abundant supply of hostility these days. So seriously, should we be surprised by the anger welling up from people with strong feelings about guidance on medical care for young persons who face health issues because of obesity? No. But learning from this anger might […]
January 27, 2023 — We count on newspapers for coming up with sensational headlines to inflame passions. Opinion pages seldom disappoint. But those flames of passion very often bring more heat than light. Such was the case yesterday when the New York Times published a sensational headline for an opinion article by a HAES activist, Virginia Sole-Smith. She wants […]
January 22, 2023 — When the American Academy of Pediatrics released its clinical guideline for obesity, it put a spotlight on an odd kind of zero sum thinking. For people promoting this line of thought, the presumption seems to be that parents, advocates, and health professionals have to pick sides. Which is more worthy of our attention – eating […]
January 13, 2023 — “I weep.” So says a fat acceptance and eating disorder advocate who is agitated because of the guideline that emerged when the American Academy of Pediatrics spent five years analyzing reams of research on pediatric obesity, options for care, and the outcomes from that care. “Come on,” says one dietitian to another. “If you want […]
January 12, 2023 — The new obesity care guideline for youth from the American Academy of Pediatrics is drawing global interest. On BBC World News, Geeta Guru-Murthy asked ConscienHealth’s Ted Kyle about this guideline and the need for medical care in young persons with obesity. Click here or on the image above for this brief video. The response to […]
