Children, youth, and parents: screening for obesity risk with the spectrum of physical activity

The current article reviews several practical approaches to screening for obesity risk among children and youth, with an emphasis on the spectrum of physical activity. We encourage physicians to utilize evidence-based strategies (e.g., 5-2-1-0), implement motivational interviewing techniques, and focus on "crunch time" (i.e., the period of day after school and before bedtime) when gathering information about physical activity type and intensity. The insights gained are useful for evaluating obesity risk and establishing goals for lifestyle interventions. Characteristics of successful interventions with youth are also discussed and include goal-setting, self-monitoring, and pedometers.