EPISODE 28: Concerning the American Academy of Pediatrics New Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Evaluation and Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Obesity (Part 1)

In this episode, Dr. Ed and Liz listen to the story of a parent who was told their infant was ‘severely obese’ and needed to be put on a restrictive diet - purely based on the child’s BMI and no other evaluation. This leads them to dive deep into the new AAP guidelines for the treatment of children with obesity - guidelines which are aggressive, applied to as young as 2 years old, and based almost solely on BMI screening. Dr. Ed and Liz use the lens of eating disorder prevention and treatment to assess the weaknesses, dangers, and omissions in these guidelines.  We encourage listeners to stay tuned for part 2, and to read the resources listed below.

AAP’s New GUIDELINES

https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/151/2/e2022060640/190443/Clinical-Practice-Guideline-for-the-Evaluation-and?autologincheck=redirected

https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/151/2/e2022060641/190440/Executive-Summary-Clinical-Practice-Guideline-for

The AED’s recommendation for revision:

https://www.newswise.com/articles/the-academy-for-eating-disorders-releases-a-statement-on-the-recent-american-academy-of-pediatrics-clinical-practice-guideline-for-weight-related-care-first-do-no-harm

Resource for parents/caretakers: How to talk to kids about food and weight:

https://www.whattosaynow.org/simpleguide/