Aug
18
Obesity is recognised as one of the most serious and growing public health challenges in Europe. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has suggested this trend is particularly worrying in children. In the UK, the Government has launched its Change4Life advertising campaign to help stem the rise of obesity in the UK.
Without action, an alarming nine in ten adults and two-thirds of all children will be obese by 2050 and severely obese individuals are likely to die, on average, some 11 years earlier than those with a normal healthy weight .
In January 2008, the UK Government set the following objective in their strategy ‘Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives’
To reverse the rising tide of obesity and overweight in the population by ensuring that all individuals are able to maintain a healthy weight. By 2020 we will have reduced the proportion of obese children to 2000 levels.
It is often the case that parents are unaware of the risks associated with sedentary lifestyles and constant snacking and often refuse to accept that their children are overweight – even when told by a health professional.
Obesity defined
Obesity is defined as excess body fat accumulation with multiple organ-specific pathological consequences. NICE recommends that overweight and obesity is assessed using the Body Mass Index (BMI) which is defined as weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared (kg/m²).
One drawback to the classification is that it does not take into account those people with a large muscle mass. NICE recommends that waist circumference can be used in addition to BMI to assess obesity risk in adults with a BMI of less than 35kg/m².
Waist circumference provides an estimate of abdominal obesity, itself related to the risk of coronary heart disease and type II diabetes. To ensure an accurate measurement, the tape should be positioned on the umbilicus whilst the patient is relaxed. For men, a waist circumference of 94cm to 102cm is classed as ‘high’, while one above 102cm is ‘very high’. The respective figures for women are 80cm to 88cm and 88cm respectively.
The WHR (waist size divided by hip size) can also be used to provide an estimate of abdominal obesity. The accepted ratio in the UK is that a ratio above 0.95 in men would be described as a health risk with the figure being 0.85 for women.
In children, obesity is measured by the BMI, provided the values are related to reference standards for age and sex. NICE do not currently recommend using waist circumference as a means of diagnosing childhood obesity. Age- and sex-specific percentile charts from 1990 are used by NICE, advising that a tailored clinical intervention be considered if the child’s BMI is above the 91st percentile.
Culture and individual psychology can also play an important role in the development of obesity. It is well recognised that repetition of everyday activities, over time, form habits that are difficult to change later in life. Children with obesity often have a negative self-image, lowered self-esteem and a higher risk of depression along with exposure to bullying and social exclusion.
Impact of child obesity
The adverse health effects of excess weight in children are increasingly apparent with higher incidence of type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and sleep apnoea. The evidence of the problem of excess weight being continued into adulthood has lead to a number of proposed strategies being published.
The Government Children’s Plan recognises child obesity as one of the most serious challenges for overweight children suggesting it is linked to a number of poor outcomes. There is strong evidence of a correlation between excess weight in children and excess weight in their parents.
Other factors
A meta-analysis has found that the risk of overweight in children is reduced by 4% for each extra month that the child is breastfed, with the benefit lasting nine months. The Department of Health recommendation is that babies are breastfed exculsively for six months wherever possible. The optimum time for baby weaning is six months and evidence has shown that babies that are weaned earlier than this can show rapid weight gain in infancy, which may increase the risk of child obesity.
In the next article, we will look at the management options available.
Obesity Facts : Are Your Kids Overweight?
With fast fooderies sprouting up on every corner and a public obesity epidemic that – - appallingly – - is increasingly afflicting supine toddlers
Fighting Childhood Obesity in the Stateline
By encouraging our children to have balanced diets and get plenty of exercise maybe we can stop this epidemic of childhood obesity.
Prevent Childhood Obesity – How To Get Rid Of Childhood Obesity …
Due to changing lifestyles and unhealthy eating habits, young children are facing the problem of obesity. Obesity is a very unhealthy.
Pupils to keep food diaries in child obesity initiative …
More than 300 children to take part in survey, to be extended nationwide in autumn.
Child Obesity: a Pictorial : Healthbolt
Children will hopefully pick up healthier eating habits this way for the rest of their lives, also! You can find some additional interesting reading over at the Dietary Supplement Information Bureau
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