Letter to the Editor

A Novel, Individually Tailored, Letter-Based Intervention for the Prevention of Overweight Among Children

Authors: Ann McGrath Davis, PhD, Rochelle L. James, MA

Abstract

To the Editor:


To combat the current pediatric overweight epidemic, some states have mandated school reporting of child Body Mass Index (BMI) to parents.1 Initial findings indicate these reports are well received by parents and may actually lead to some behavior change.2 However, given the vast amount of sometimes contradictory health information available, parents and children would likely benefit if these health reports included individually tailored health recommendations for each child.

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References

1. Brener ND, Burstein GR, DuShaw ML, et al. Health services: results from the School Health Policies and Programs Study 2000. J Sch Health 2001;71:294–304.
 
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Overweight among students in grades K-12–Arkansas, 2003–04 and 2004–05 school years. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2006;55:5–8.
 
3. Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, Executive Summary Web Site. Available at:http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/html/executivesummary.htm. Accessed on June 19, 2007.
 
4. Rajeshwari R, Yang SJ, Nicklas TA, et al. Secular trends in children's sweetened-beverage consumption (1973 to 1994): the Bogalusa Heart Study. J Am Diet Assoc 2005;105:208–214.
 
5. Eisenmann JC, Bartee RT, Wang MQ. Physical activity, TV viewing, and weight in U.S. youth: 1999 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Obes Res 2002;10:379–385.
 
6. Nothwehr F, Dennis L, Wu H. Measurement of behavioral objectives for weight management. Health Educ Behav 2006 Jun 30;[Epub ahead of print].