| Conference
highlights:
•
Defining childhood obesity and prevalence
“…childhood
obesity has been increasing since the 1980’s all
over the world, with some of the highest rates to be
found in the USA and urban China. This rise is set to
continue, and if not checked will lead to increased
deaths in adults through heart disease, diabetes and
high blood pressure.”
Professor Tim Cole, (Institute
of Child Health, London)
•
Consequences of childhood obesity: results of a systematic
review and critical appraisal
“Many
parents and health professionals see childhood obesity
as a cosmetic problem. In fact, obesity causes ill health
in childhood, and long-term health problems for adults
who were obese as children.”
“Obesity
in childhood tends to persist into adulthood, and adults
who were obese as children have increased risk of heart
disease. Adults who were obese as children also have
poorer social, educational, and economic prospects.
In conclusion, childhood obesity has a high cost in
health and economic terms, and we should be making greater
efforts to prevent it.”
Dr John Reilly, (Department
of Human Nutrition, University of Glasgow)
• Diet and nutrition issues
Obesity
results from an imbalance between energy intake and
energy needs. Children today are less active than former
generations, but the increase in fatness suggests that
the total calories consumed have not decreased accordingly.
King-sized portions, increases in soft drink consumption
and the popularity of fast food outlets serving energy
dense foods may be important issues and need further
research.
“Understanding
the dietary factors associated with an increased risk
of obesity is critical to the development of effective
lifestyle strategies for the prevention of excess weight
gain in young people. There is also a need to integrate
dietary factors with a greater understanding of the
role of physical activity to understand the broader
lifestyle determinants of obesity in young people and
to develop partnerships which support and facilitate
the necessary lifestyle changes by children and their
families.”
Dr Susan Jebb (MRC Human Nutrition
Research, Cambridge)
• Physical inactivity
Recent
evidence confirms that obese young people are generally
considerably less active than non-obese young people,
especially outside of school time. An increased risk
of obesity is related to higher levels of television
watching and TV viewing is also associated with eating
more calorie dense foods and less fruits and vegetables.
“Recent
interventions aimed at reducing television viewing are
encouraging, showing significant reductions in fatty
tissue in those children who have decreased television
viewing. But there is a need to integrate diet and physical
activity in future research to understand the interaction
between these behaviours in relation to developments
in obesity and treatment.”
Dr Ashley Cooper (Department
of Exercise & Health Sciences, University of Bristol)
• The global epidemic of childhood obesity
Excess
body weight is the commonest childhood disorder in Europe
and North America and is rapidly becoming a major concern
in other regions of the world.
“Although
having overweight parents will raise the chances of
obesity among children, genetic factors are not the
full explanation. The changes have been too rapid. Cultural
changes - such as the rise in snack food consumption
and the decline in physical activity levels - are the
most likely explanations.”
Dr Tim Lobstein (International
Obesity Task Force)
•
Pre-school nutrition
There
have been major changes in the types of foods eaten
by young children in the past 50 years, but the role
of diet in the current increase in obesity in young
children is still unclear. Now data from the Avon Longitudinal
Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) living in Bristol
adds new light.
“We
found that children’s diets are influenced by
the educational level of their mother and that groups
with the least educated mothers had higher levels of
obesity. Our findings show that it is important that
health professionals have a role especially in encouraging
the less educated mothers to follow best practice.”
Pauline Emmett (Research Nutritionist/Dietitian,
Department of Child Health University of Bristol)
• School based programmes
Most
obesity treatment takes place in a clinical setting,
however schools provide an excellent opportunity for
preventing and treating obesity.
“Two
key components for obesity prevention are diet and physical
activity. Within schools both should be promoted as
part of a co-ordinated, comprehensive programme for
school health.”
Dr Pinki Sahota, (School of
Health Sciences, Leeds Metropolitan University)
• Active travel to combat obesity
Sustrans
is a corporation that promotes active travel on foot
and by bike to help combat obesity in children. John
Grimshaw (Executive Director, Sustrans) highlights some
of Sustrans current projects in this area.
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