Call for early action to tackle ‘alarming’ rise of childhood obesity

Childhood obesity has risen to “alarming” levels, academics have said as they called for action to prevent unhealthy lifestyles setting in among babies and toddlers.

Experts said that a child’s trajectories are set early in life and “appear difficult to alter after the age of about five years”.

They said that the first 1,000 days of life – from pregnancy through to a child’s second birthday – are “critical to development and health across the life-course” as they called for early action to prevent obesity in children.

These interventions could include: helping women to begin pregnancy at a healthy weight; encouraging breastfeeding, which is linked with a reduced risk of childhood obesity and avoiding “rapid catch-up growth” in low birth weight babies.

“The overall goal should be to establish and maintain a healthy body-weight trajectory that avoids excess gain early in life,” experts from the UK Academy of Medical Sciences and the Italian National Academy of Sciences said.

Obese

In the UK, 1.3 million children are obese and a further 2.3 million are overweight, the authors said.

The authors highlight how single interventions “such as diet or physical activity, in single settings” rarely work without consideration of wider factors which may contribute to childhood obesity.

The report says that portraying obesity as a “character flaw” leads to stigmatisation which can be counterproductive and may increase the risk of unhealthy diet and lifestyle, but positive messages about the benefits of maintaining a healthy weight may work better.

“Childhood obesity has become an urgent public health challenge that is both affecting lives today and storing up problems for the future,” the report states.

According to the latest National Childhood Measurement Programme figures, one in ten (9.6%) children in England are obese when they begin their schooling.

And 22.1% of 10 and 11-year-olds in Year 6 are obese.

Obesity is higher in boys than girls, the figures show.

And those living in poorer neighbourhoods are more likely to be obese compared to those in the wealthiest.

‘Vicious cycle’

The authors of the new report highlight how levels of obesity in deprived areas is creating a “vicious cycle” because obesity is linked to reduced job opportunities which in turn is a risk factor for weight gain.

The new report comes as the Government prepares to launch it’s 10 year plan for health, which has a focus on preventing ill health from occurring in the first place.

Under new proposals set out in the plan retailers could be made to set targets to increase their sales of less fattening products.

But the authors of the new report said that “robust” regulation of the food industry is needed rather than relying on voluntary agreements, with evidence supporting taxation of unhealthy products and potential subsidies for healthier options.

“The first 1,000 days, including time in the womb, represent an important window of opportunity to set children on a healthy trajectory for life,” said Professor Susan Ozanne, co-chair of the report.

“Once obesity is established, it becomes increasingly harder to reverse.

“This isn’t about individual willpower or blaming and shaming – it’s about creating an environment for parents, carers and their children that supports healthy development from the very beginning.”

Professor Rosalind Smyth, clinical vice-president at the Academy of Medical Sciences, added: “When we address health inequalities in the earliest years, we’re not just improving individual outcomes – we’re building the foundations for a healthier, more productive society.

“The evidence reinforces that prevention, which requires a cross-sectoral approach, must be co-ordinated across all government departments.”