February 11, 2010
The American Academy of Pediatrics has joined the White House, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in a new initiative to reduce rates of overweight and obesity in our nation's children. Pediatricians will continue working in partnership with families and communities to ensure the life success of every child.

Specifically, the AAP pledges to engage in a range of efforts to promote:

• Body Mass Index (BMI) is calculated for every child at every well-child visit in accordance with AAP Bright Futures recommendations, and that information is provided to parents about how to achieve a healthy weight; and

• Prescriptions for healthy active living (good nutrition and physical activity) are available at every well-child visit, along with information for families about the impact of healthy eating habits and regular physical activity on overall health.

For more information, visit www.aap.org/obesity/whitehouse.

For more information on the topic of childhood obesity, visit the following Pediatric Care Online features:

• AAP Textbook of Pediatric Care

• Point-of-Care Quick Reference

• Bright Futures

• Interactivity Periodicity Schedule

• Algorithm: Evaluation of overweight in children

• Algorithm: Recommendations for weight goals