Overview
Dora Matagić, PO2
recent
research evidence on a number of aspects of childhood obesity: definition and prevalence
consequences
causes and prevention
body
mass index (BMI) as a means of defining obesity in children and adolescents
it
does matter to physical and psychological health
there are adverse health risks for both the obese child and the adult who was obese as a child
Introduction and aim
Strategies
to combat childhood obesity have been overtaken by the scale and speed of the childhood obesity epidemic
Aim:
summarising recent systematic reviews on these topics in order to provide an informed basis for future interventions intended to tackle the childhood obesity epidemic.
Definitions
Obesity
is a disorder in which the body fat content has become so high that it creates health problems or and increased risk of health problems.
the
body mass index (BMI), i.e. weight (in kg) divided by height2
(m2) provides the best simple means of defining overweight
In
adults:
BMI 25 or more = overweight;
BMI 30 or more = obesity.
A
high BMI for age in a boy or girl
(95th percentile or more) =
‘obesity’;
A
slightly lower BMI for age (85th percentile or more) =
‘overweight’.
Many
children and adolescents have BMI percentiles that are below our definitions of overweight and obesity, but are excessively fat
There
is no simple alternative to the BMI which is evidence-based at present
Prevalence: How common is obesity and has it changed over time?
Obesity
in children and adolescents has been increasing rapidly
In
2004 in England, obesity prevalence
(defined as BMI 95th centile or more) was: 14% in 2- to 10-year-olds
25 % in 11- to 15-year-olds
Children
from families of lower socioeconomic status and children from some ethnic minority groups – higher risks of being obese
Consequences of obesity – shortterm
increased
risk of:
orthopaedic problems
(particularly in the foot and hip)