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Report of a joint conference of the Association for the Study of Obesity
and the University of Bristol 17-18 September 2002

Childhood obesity has almost doubled since the mid 1980’s and is a trend that shows no signs of stopping. Obesity experts suspect that overweight or obese children become obese adults and this is a great concern both clinically and to public health.

If childhood obesity is to be successfully addressed and treated then efforts to tackle this health concern are needed from a wide range of disciplines.

This meeting looked at the latest research into the causes, prevention and treatment of childhood obesity and raised key issues for the guidance of successful prevention, diagnosis and treatment of this increasing health problem.

Brief details of the conference are given for you below and you can view the speakers abstracts by visiting: http://www.aso.org.uk/apps/conferences/conf_frames.asp

Over 20 speakers covered the following topic areas:

— Approaches to treatment and prevention of obese children: evidence and issues

“…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)

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.