Childhood Obesity Journal Agenda

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Dear Colleague:

In the past year, Childhood Obesity has played a major role in advancing our understanding of the complexities of child and adolescent obesity and provided insights into how best to address the myriad factors that contribute to this epidemic.

The Journal has addressed epidemiologic evidence that rates of childhood obesity are declining in some areas, but also the fact that severe obesity in children is rising, as are complications such as fatty liver disease. We are seeing some tangible progress as a result of policy initiatives, but also evidence of a rising rate of bariatric surgery among children worldwide.

Our journal has been involved in all of the relevant trends and provided important studies, editorials, and perspectives from leading experts in the field. Significant media attention from renowned media outlets like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, TIME, and others has been given to articles published in Childhood Obesity, including coverage of a major study on perceived reactions of elementary school students to changes in school lunches and a report on the food environment of youth baseball. To date this year, full-text downloads of articles in the Journal have increased over 35%.

Childhood Obesity was selected for coverage in Thomson Reuters’ products this year and beginning with Volume 8, Number 1, 2012 the Journal will be indexed and abstracted in Science Citation Index Expanded and Journal Citation Reports/Science Edition. Indexing is testament to the quality and impact of the articles published in the Journal and will be of tremendous benefit to the scientific and scholarly research communities.

In the coming year, one area that may warrant coverage in the Journal is the need to think differently about how best to gauge the toll of childhood obesity. How many children are overweight may now be a fairly stable number; however, the extent of overweight and complications experienced by those children are moving targets and moving in the wrong direction. This is clearly an area that requires attention and a concerted effort from the medical and research communities.

The Journal will address the toll of fatty liver disease; the appropriateness of bariatric surgery in children; and the kind of lifestyle programming in diverse settings that can achieve effective outcomes. There will be more focus on the role of the human microbiome in obesity and emphasis on cultural trends such as debates about the best dietary patterns. The evolution of school food, innovations in physical activity programming, and the effects of obesity on healthcare costs, in both the short and long term, will all receive attention.

Childhood Obesity provides a unique combination of interventions research and view-from-altitude perspectives via a comprehensive archive of articles on diverse aspects of this field and a wide array of topics, from community-wide interventions to innovations in pharmacotherapy. The highly efficient editorial process results in a short timeframe from article submission to publication, giving readers access to exceptionally timely material that reflects current trends.

Childhood Obesity is a vital resource for researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and public health professionals, among others, and we will continue to provide the most relevant peer-reviewed research and feature content to keep you apprised of the latest developments in the field.

The mission to eliminate childhood obesity is a collaborative effort and we welcome your feedback, as well as suggestions and ideas, to ensure that the Journal provides the greatest value to those involved in this important endeavor. We are grateful for your continued support, readership, and active engagement in the journal.

With my best regards,

David L. Katz, MD, MPH, FACPM, FACP
Yale University Prevention Research Center
Editor-in-Chief, Childhood Obesity