Giving Compass' Take:

· Stephen Cook from the University of Rochester Medical Center answers questions about childhood obesity.

· What can be done to prevent childhood obesity? What are the risks associated with it? 

· Read more about childhood obesity and how to prevent it.

In truth, pediatric obesity is far more complicated than any single problem or solution. Children’s brains aren’t fully developed, so methods that may help adults rarely apply to kids. In addition, since children are not autonomous individuals—both legally and developmentally—solving the problem requires a collective effort involving a child’s entire support system.

Familiarizing yourself with the latest research and trends in pediatric obesity is a good place for caregivers to start. Here, Stephen Cook, associate professor of pediatrics at the Golisano Children’s Hospital at the University of Rochester Medical Center, answers some common questions on the issue:

Q: Is my child obese?
A: This may seem like a straightforward question and answer, but it isn’t. First, parents should be considerate about the language they use to describe their child’s condition to avoid stigmatization. Obesity is a disease, not an identity: “We should really be saying ‘my child has obesity’ rather than ‘my child is obese,'” Cook says.

Read the full article about childhood obesity by Scott Hesel at Futurity.