Child and adolescent obesity: part of a bigger picture

Abstract

The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity has risen substantially worldwide in less than one generation. In the USA, the average weight of a child has risen by more than 5 kg within three decades, to a point where a third of the country's children are overweight or obese. Some low-income and middle-income countries have reported similar or more rapid rises in child obesity, despite continuing high levels of undernutrition. Nutrition policies to tackle child obesity need to promote healthy growth and household nutrition security and protect children from inducements to be inactive or to overconsume foods of poor nutritional quality. The promotion of energy-rich and nutrient-poor products will encourage rapid weight gain in early childhood and exacerbate risk factors for chronic disease in all children, especially those showing poor linear growth. Whereas much public health effort has been expended to restrict the adverse marketing of breastmilk substitutes, similar effort now needs to be expanded and strengthened to protect older children from increasingly sophisticated marketing of sedentary activities and energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods and beverages. To meet this challenge, the governance of food supply and food markets should be improved and commercial activities subordinated to protect and promote children's health.

Figure 1. Prevalence trends for child overweight and obesity in the USA and eight low-income and middle-income countries

Source: World Obesity Federation, collated from published sources. Further details in appendix. Measurements of body-mass index are based on professionally measured heights and weights.

Figure 2. Deviation of height, weight, and body-mass index of children in the USA, urban India, and Mexico from the WHO growth reference values, by age

WHO values were sampled at mid-year for whole-year comparisons. WHO weight reference values were calculated from body-mass index values for children older than 10 years. Weight reference values and deviation scores are available in the appendix.

Figure 3. Television advertising expenditure for the two leading soft drinks companies in the pan-Arab region, 2006–12

Sources: Pan Arab Research Center 2007 and 2013.