Abstract
Childhood Obesity is officially retracting the article entitled, “Modeling Potential Effects of Reduced Calories in Kids' Meals With Toy Giveaways,” by Maysoun Y. Freij, Randall L. Sell, Anne K. Bozack, Linda J. Weiss, and Ana C. Garcia, which was published in the February 2014 issue, volume 10, number 1, pages 58–63. doi: 10.1089/chi.2013.0082.
After the article was published, Childhood Obesity received a letter to the editor, which questioned the model used by the authors to predict potential weight gain or loss. Specifically, the letter's authors reported that one component of the model was outdated and not applicable to predicting weight gain or loss in children. The letter's authors went on to state that the erroneous model construction led to predicted weight differentials that were approximately 10 times higher than those that would be predicted by accepted models in obesity science, and thus major portions of the article by Freij and colleagues were invalid.
Dr. Freij was contacted by the editorial office of Childhood Obesity and the concerns expressed within the letter to the editor shared. Dr. Freij concurs with retracting this article. Childhood Obesity is also publishing the letter, “Order of Magnitude Misestimation of Weight Effects of Children's Meal Policy Proposals,” by Andrew W. Brown, Kevin D. Hall, Diana Thomas, Nikhil V. Dhurandhar, Steven B. Heymsfield, and David B. Allison in its entirety.
Childhood Obesity is dedicated to the highest standards of scientific research and assurance of accurate information in the work published by the Journal.