 [ Symptoms ] what is brief behavioral therapy intervention bbti for insomnia in older adults [ Disease ] a recent study published in the british medical journal by russell viner at the ucl institute of child health london england caught my eye “childhood protection and obesity framework for practice  i know that my colleagues across the pond have been quite aggressive about finding creative solutions for countering the childhood obesity epidemic in england their academy of pediatrics has recently proposed a ban on junk food and beverage tv ads aimed at kids a stiff tax on sugary items and a requirement that fast food restaurants be located far away from schools but this bmj analysis takes the discussion to a different and understandably more contentious place should parents be blamed for their child is obesity intrigued i did some homework to share with you the childhood obesity child protection issue has emerged over the past several years garnering increased media and professional attention at the 2007 british medical association is annual meeting members rejected a motion in which obesity occurring in kids under 12 constituted a reason to charge parents with neglect and removal of the child into protective custody this action followed on the heels of a bbc survey of 50 pediatricians who noted that childhood obesity had been a factor in at least 20 child protection cases in 2006 the uk is not alone in its concerns which are evident internationally including us courts which have already been removing some obese children from parents considered neglectful here is an example from missouri where an boy was removed from his foster home because his foster father was obese the bmj authors examined the existing literature on childhood obesity and protective actions and suggested a blueprint for action what they found is that there is indeed evidence of an association between obesity and sexual abuse violence and neglect however there is no data on the relationship between child protection actions and weight control in the long term moreover there is no information about the long term physical and mental welfare of an obese child who undergoes removal from the home and placement into foster care the bmj authors note that obesity is part of a larger constellation of child welfare concerns related to child protection this means that all aspects of the child is family and living environment including nutrition and activity need to be closely assessed when determining what is best for the child is welfare to further complicate things there is good research that shows even when obese children have strong family support or ready access to credible weight loss programs kids can still struggle to remove the pounds they suggest that failure to comply with obesity treatment missing appointments not supporting obese children with weight management programs or even actively sabotaging their kids efforts is tantamount to neglect especially in those kids who are already suffering medical consequences arising from their obesity in reviewing the media coverage on this topic it is clear that the brits are more open to aggressive legal actions especially