GP interventions show childhood obesity ‘preventable’

Childhood obesity can be prevented if GPs start to weigh toddlers at 13 months and talk to parents about nutrition, according to new research.

More than one in five children in Ireland between the ages of two and four are now classed as overweight or obese.

The study, published in this month’s Irish Medical Journal, tests the effectiveness of a GP’s discussion of nutrition with parents during their child’s scheduled 13-month immunisations.