Pediatric overweight or obesity: Does the label really matter?

Purpose: To discuss the issue of early identification of overweight and obesity in infants and young children and provide some clinical recommendations based on the current evidence and the World Health Organization's (WHO) newly released guidelines for growth and development. Data sources: Comparison of the growth charts from the WHO and the Centers for Disease Control as well as current literature. Conclusions: Although healthcare providers and the general public recognize overweight and obesity as serious problems, there is still disagreement on what constitutes obesity in infants and young children and when and how to intervene. More research on interventions and outcomes is particularly needed. Implications for practice: The primary care provider deals with the sequelae of obesity on a daily basis. Some recommendations are provided for nurse practitioners who care for infants and children based on current evidence and expert opinion.