Volume 194 - Issue 4
Is “puppy fat” OK?
Author: Katharine Steinbeck
Med J Aust 2011; 194 (4): 193. || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2011.tb03770.x
Published online: 21 February 2011
Published online: 21 February 2011
Is Your Child Overweight? What You Need to Know and What You Can Do. Matt Sabin. Melbourne: Wilkinson Publishing, 2010 (96 pp). ISBN 9781921667510.
MATT SABIN is an experienced paediatric obesity expert in both clinical and research fields at the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, and this book is written as a “guide for parents that is both comprehensive and at the same time easily understandable”.
Sabin’s clinical experience is clearly demonstrated in his approach to obesity management and in the clinical examples he provides, and the reader will appreciate the extent of his knowledge and practical know-how.
Perhaps the scientist in him makes it difficult to avoid discussing rarer obesity facts and presenting detailed scientific arguments around clinical situations, which might be better suited to a professional reader. However, this book goes some way towards addressing the dearth of good-quality information on childhood overweight for parents.
The focus is children 12 years of age and under, although there is some very good information on adolescent overweight.
The question-and-answer format is excellent, as the reader can choose sections of particular interest. The absolute standout sections are: Is “puppy fat” OK? What factors in the environment are contributing to obesity? Are you a bad parent if your child is overweight or obese? How important is breakfast? The repeated reinforcement, in a positive manner, of parents taking charge and making the time to make family changes works well in this format, and follows the evidence base for obesity management in primary schoolchildren and younger.
The quality of the writing is exceptional, but I would have preferred avoiding words such as “transpired”, “non-pejorative”, “incorporate” and “parameters”, which could make the book less accessible for parents with limited reading skills. Medication and surgery also needed to be discussed, if only to dismiss these modalities in children. Finally, sibutramine is mentioned, but the drug was recently withdrawn from the market.
This book is well priced and should be recommended to parents and also to clinicians, as health professionals are likely to learn a lot from it.