AHA Recommendation Obese children are at an increased risk for obesity as adults. Successfully preventing or treating obesity in childhood may reduce the risk of adult obesity. This in turn may help reduce the risk of heart disease and other diseases.
Obesity is an excess amount of body fat.
With children and adolescents, it's important to consider both weight and body composition. Reaching and maintaining an appropriate body weight is important. That's why recommendations that focus on small but permanent changes in eating may work better than a series of short-term changes that can't be sustained. Reducing dietary fat is the easiest change. Highly restrictive diets that forbid favorite foods are likely to fail.