Overweight and Obesity in Kids and Teens

Here you will find links to resources about care, services, and support and to websites for parents and caregivers and for kids and teens about overweight and obesity in kids and teens.

Care, Services, and Support

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Find a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. Directory of certified food and nutrition experts.
Also see the Community Services Locator: An Online Directory for Finding Community Services for Children and Families to find nutrition services, primary care health professionals, and other services for families in your community.

Websites for Parents and Caregivers

Alliance for a Healthier Generation: Make Health a Habit. Tips in English and Spanish to help families be active and eat well. Includes recipes and exercise ideas. American Heart Association (AHA) and the Clinton Foundation.
Body Mass Index (BMI) for Children and Teens. Information about BMI and how it is used, calculated, and interpreted for kids and teens. Calculate your child's BMI and BMI-for-age percentile using the BMI Percentile Calculator for Child and Teen. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Healthychildren.org: Obesity. Articles and video and audio clips about obesity in kids and teens and how to help them have a healthy weight. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
Healthy Eating and Active Lifestyles Begin at Home. Recommendations to help parents and caregivers make sure their family eats well and is active and that kids and teens don't have too much screen time and get enough sleep. Harvard School of Public Health Obesity Prevention Source.
Let's Move. Tips and step-by-step strategies for families to help kids and teens be active and eat well. The White House.
Pennington Nutrition Series. Information about healthy eating and physical activity for kids and teens. Includes tips on how to get kids to eat healthier and exercise more regularly. Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
Rudd ‘Roots Parents. Suggestions for parents about food marketing in schools, school food and weight bias and bullying. UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.
Tips for Parents: Ideas to Help Children Maintain a Healthy Weight. Information in English and Spanish about the consequences of childhood obesity, how to help kids maintain a healthy weight, and links to additional resources. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity and Nutrition). Tips, activity ideas, recipes, and other tools for families to help kids have a healthy weight, eat well, be active, and reduce screen time. Some resources are available in Spanish. Collaboration between four institutes of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Websites for Kids and Teens

Center for Young Women's Health: Nutrition and Fitness. Information in English and Spanish for teen girls and young women about healthy eating and fun ways to stay in shape. Boston Children's Hospital.
KidsHealth. Articles in English and Spanish for parents, teens, and kids about healthy eating, keeping fit, and having a healthy weight.
Let's Move: Kids Take Action. Five steps to eat right and be active. The White House.
Young Men's Health: Nutrition and Fitness. Information for teen guys and young men about exercise, nutrition, and healthy eating. Topics include fad diets, healthy weight management, and fast food. Boston Children's Hospital.

Learn more about overweight and obesity in kids and teens and nutrition, physical activity, food marketing, and nutrition, physical activity, and obesity prevention in child care and early education programs.

Need more information? Use the collection of resources that NCEMCH staff have put together for you and your family.

Overweight and Obesity in Kids and Teens: Family Resource Brief, 2nd ed. (December 2012). (Updated: October 2016).

Author: Susan Brune Lorenzo, M.L.S., NCEMCH; Breanne C. Wilhite, B.S.
Reviewers: S. Jean Emans, M.D., Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Alison Field, Sc.D., Boston Children's Hospital; Stephanie Loup, M.P.H. and R.D. candidate, University of Minnesota; Shree Mohanty, M.A., M.S., R.D., L.D., Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Region V; Olivia Pickett, M.A., M.L.S., NCEMCH; Tracy Richmond, M.D., M.P.H., Boston Children's Hospital; Mikaela Robertson, M.P.H. and R.D. candidate, University of Minnesota; Kendrin Sonneville, R.D., Sc.D., Boston Children's Hospital.
Editor: Ruth Barzel, M.A., NCEMCH.