New health-based definition of childhood obesity shows lower prevalence

A large international study led by Murdoch Children's Research Institute found that a new global definition of clinical obesity, which considers health complications, classifies far fewer children as obese compared to BMI thresholds. The study involved 786,557 participants from multiple countries and was published in eClinicalMedicine.

Why it matters. This change in how childhood obesity is defined could lead to more targeted interventions and better understanding of obesity-related health care needs at different life stages.