childhood obesity news stories on Newser

C-Section Births Tied to Obesity

Mark Russell — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:01:26 CDT

Caesarian sections are on the rise in the United States, but a new study out yesterday indicates that the surgical birth method may have an unexpected consequence. It found that babies born by C-section are twice as likely to be obese by age three, reports the Washington Post . Researchers reviewing...

Mom Who Put 7-Year-Old on Diet Scores Book Deal

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 10:08:34 CDT

Dara-Lynn Weiss' Vogue article about putting her clinically obese 7-year-old daughter on a diet wasn’t exactly met with a warm reception —nonetheless, it's landed Weiss a book deal. Random House's Ballantine imprint will publish her memoir about the experience, tentatively titled The Heavy , Mediabistro reports. It is described as "an...

Mom's Article About Obese Kid's Diet Sparks Fury

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 10:41:05 CDT

When Dara-Lynn Weiss wrote in Vogue about her yearlong struggle to help her clinically obese 7-year-old daughter lose 16 pounds, she probably wasn't expecting quite the level of backlash that has ensued. Yahoo has highlights from Weiss's article, including her admission that she herself has struggled with eating and body...

Disney Shuts Obesity Exhibit Because It Insults Fat Kids

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 11:44:14 CST

Disney World, that purveyor of churros, cotton candy, and ice cream bars shaped like Mickey Mouse's head, recently installed a childhood obesity exhibit at Epcot, and critics quickly blasted the theme park … for stigmatizing overweight children. "We're appalled to learn that Disney, a traditional hallmark of childhood happiness and...

Kids Who Hate Mom Twice as Likely to Become Obese

Kate Schwartz — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 09:09:05 CST

Most parents have gotten an "I hate you!" tossed their way. But if your toddler really seems to mean it, Mom, you may want to figure out how to improve the relationship. A study set to be published next month found that toddlers who were ranked as having the worst...

Burger King Gets Around 'Happy Meal Ban,' Too

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 08:18:39 CST

Burger King is taking a page from the McDonald's handbook : In order to "comply" with San Francisco's so-called "Happy Meal ban," the fast food chain will stop giving away toys in its kids' meals … but it will offer them for purchase for just 10 cents more. While McDonald's is...

McDonald's Sidesteps SF Happy Meal Ban

Rob Quinn — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 07:39:00 CST

San Francisco's Happy Meal ban kicks in tomorrow, but McDonald's has found a very simple way to dodge it. The law bans restaurants from including a toy with a meal if that meal doesn't comply with the city's nutritional guidelines. So McDonald's is selling Happy Meals without toys—and selling...

Ohio Boy, 8, Taken From Mom Because He's Obese

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:11:05 CST

Last month, an 8-year-old Ohio boy was removed from his family home and placed in foster care—not because of physical abuse, but because the third-grader weighed more than 200 pounds. County case workers argued that the boy’s mother was engaging in medical neglect by not getting his weight under...

Congress Declares Pizza a Vegetable

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 10:10:25 CST

Thanks to Congress, pizza is still considered a vegetable—at least where school lunches are concerned. Proposed new school lunch standards from the USDA would have limited potatoes in school lunches (think French fries) and stopped counting less than a half-cup of tomato sauce as a vegetable (think pizza), but...