Childhood obesity: should primary school children be routinely screened? A systematic review and discussion of the evidence.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Population monitoring has been introduced in UK primary schools in an effort to track the growing obesity epidemic. It has been argued that parents should be informed of their child's results, but is there evidence that moving from monitoring to screening would be effective? We describe what is known about the effectiveness of monitoring and screening for overweight and obesity in primary school children and highlight areas where evidence is lacking and research should be prioritised.

Design

Systematic review with discussion of evidence gaps and future research.

Data sources

Published and unpublished studies (any language) from electronic databases (inception to July 2005), clinical experts, Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities, and referenc

SUBMITTER: Westwood M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2083728 | biostudies-literature | 2007 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature