Stormy discussion over obesity: how to call over weight children?

Labeling a child obese might "run the risk of making them angry, making the family angry,but it addresses a serious issue head-on", said Dr. Reginald Washington, a Denver pediatrician and co-chair of an American Academy of Pediatrics obesity task force.

Photo: Stormy discussion over obesity: how to call over weight children?

Stormy discussion over obesity: how to call over weight children?

"If that same person came into your office and had cancer, or was anemic, or had an ear infection, would we be having the same conversation? There are a thousand reasons why this obesity epidemic is so out of control, and one of them is no one wants to talk about it."

The diplomatic approach adopted by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and used by many doctors avoids the word "obese" because of the stigma. The CDC also calls overweight kids "at risk of overweight."

Those favoring a change say the current terms encourage denial of a problem affecting increasing numbers of U.S. youngsters, the AP reports.

Under a proposal studied by a committee of the American Medical Association, the CDC and others, fat children would get the same labels as adults - overweight or obese.