New Infographic on Childhood Obesity

“It’s a common complaint that kids these days just aren’t going outside and getting enough exercise. While that’s true (largely in part to their growing tablet addictions), parents also play an immensely important role in their child’s health. The food that you pack in their lunch bags or put on their dinner plates is becoming increasingly important to fighting the obesity epidemic that has hit our country. Here’s an infographic (courtesy of homeremediesforlife.com) with 10 foods that parents should seriously reconsider serving their children, along with some helpful alternatives:”

 

WARNING! These 10 Foods Are Terrible For Your Child’s Body

 

Childhood obesity soars worldwide

Childhood obesity soars worldwide

Childhood obesity soars worldwide

“Shocking figures show there are now 124 million obese children worldwide,” reports The Guardian. A pooling of records of height and weight in children from 200 countries found the numbers of children who are obese rose from less than 1% in 1975, to 5.6% of girls and 7.8% of boys in 2016.

The numbers of children severely or moderately underweight worldwide has fallen – but not by much (from 9.2% to 8.4% in girls and 14.8% to 12.4% in boys). There were an estimated 192 million severely or moderately underweight children in the world in 2016, mostly in Asia and Africa.

In the UK, as with other high-income English-speaking countries, the rise in childhood obesity seems to have stabilised in the past decade, albeit at high levels. Around 10% of UK children are estimated to be obese according to this study.

The figures show that some middle- and low-income countries that previously had many underweight children (such as in the Middle East) had “flipped” to having many overweight children.

Children who become overweight or obese in childhood are at higher risk of developing chronic diseases in adulthood such as type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer. And sadly, research suggests they are more likely to be bullied and have low self-esteem.

Find out more about how you can help your child reach a healthy weight.

 

Where did the story come from?

The study was carried out by researchers from the international NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, and the lead researcher is based at Imperial College London. It was funded by the Wellcome Trust and AstraZeneca Young Health Programme. It was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet on an open-access basis, so it is free to read online.

The researchers also published country-specific information in graphs on their website.

The Guardian and BBC News both published accurate stories. The Guardian took a “first-world problem” approach and did not mention the numbers of children still underweight, focusing entirely on the obesity figures.

BBC News gave a more rounded report.

 

What kind of research was this?

This was a pooled analysis of population-based measurement studies, using data sources from 200 countries around the world. Researchers wanted as many reliable studies of children’s height and weight as possible, to compare trends and figures from 1975 to 2016. They also looked at figures for adults, but focused on children aged five to 19 for this study.

 

What did the research involve?

Researchers sought out reports that included the measured weight and height of children within the general population of countries worldwide. They used data from government and health service sources, as well as any published studies, and used their international network to find all relevant data sources from their local areas.

They then analysed the information to look for trends in mean body mass index (BMI), and how many children fitted into five categories, from moderate and severely underweight to obese. They looked at trends over time and in global regions.

The researchers only used data where weight and height had been measured as part of a study, rather than self-reported weight and height. They grouped countries into 22 geographical regions for most of their analyses. They used World Health Organization (WHO) growth reference charts to categorise children, which means their figures don’t compare directly with other studies that used different definitions.

 

What were the basic results?

The researchers pooled information from 2,416 data sources, which had height and weight information for about 31.5 million children aged five to 19 years.

The results showed an increase in obesity and a decrease in those severely or moderately underweight over time:

In 1975, 0.7% of girls (95% credible interval (CrI) 0.4 to 1.2) and 0.9% of boys (95% CrI 0.5 to 1.3) were obese.

In 2016, 5.6% of girls (95% CrI 4.8 to 6.5) and 7.8% of boys (CrI 6.7 to 9.1) were obese – an estimated total of 50 million girls and 74 million boys.

In 1975, 9.2% of girls (95% CrI 6.0 to 12.9) and 14.8% of boys (CrI10.4 to 19.5) were underweight.

In 2016, 8.4% of girls (95% CrI 6.8 to 10.1) and 12.4% of boys (CrI 10.3 to 14.5) were underweight.

The global figures, however, mask big differences in various regions of the world.

In eastern Europe, for example, average age-standardised BMI changed very little for boys or girls. In central Latin America, by contrast, it rose by 1kg/m2 for every decade from 1975 to 2016. In high-income English speaking countries, average age-standardised BMI rose until about 2000, then the rise flattened off.

The areas of the world with the highest proportion of children estimated to be obese in 2016 are:

Polynesia and Micronesia (25.4% of girls and 22.4% of boys)

High income English-speaking countries including the UK, north America and Australia and New Zealand (around 20%, exact figures not given)

In the UK, obesity in boys rose from 2.4% in 1975 to 10.9% in 2016, while obesity in girls rose from 3% in 1975 to 9.4% in 2016. The UK ranks 73rd on the list of 200 countries for childhood obesity prevalence.

 

How did the researchers interpret the results?

The researchers say their results show that “rising trends in children’s and adolescents’ BMI have plateaued in many high-income countries, but have accelerated in parts of Asia.”

They say that if trends continue, “child and adolescent obesity is expected to surpass moderate and severe underweight by 2022.”

They say figures from east Asia and Latin America show that “the transition from underweight to overweight and obesity can be rapid”, and that international policy goals should address both underweight and overweight in a coherent way.

They point out that: “While momentum might be gathering to use taxes and regulations to reduce the consumption of energy-dense foods, few policies and programmes attempt to make healthy foods such as whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables more affordable through targeted price subsidies, (conditional) cash transfers and food vouchers, or healthy school meals. Unaffordability of healthy food options not only leads to social inequalities in overweight and obesity, but might also limit the effect of policies that target unhealthy foods”.

 

Conclusion

This is a huge report with data from around the world. It found that, while obesity among children has clearly increased globally, the picture is variable from one country or region to another.

It’s encouraging that the report found obesity levels among countries such as the UK are levelling off. However, that still leaves millions of children obese or overweight, which could put their health at risk in years to come. More needs to be done to reduce those numbers. More urgent is the situation in countries that have seen a rapid rise in childhood obesity that shows no sign of slowing.

It is also important not to overlook the ongoing problem of the many millions of children who are underweight, as this can lead to other long-term health risks.

The report does have some limitations to be aware of:

Categories of obesity, overweight etc are not “absolute” categories based on the optimum weight for health. Instead, they represent how a child’s BMI compares to a “reference” population of children the same age and sex. Some debate whether this over-estimates the proportion of children categorised as obese.

The amount of data the researchers had available for each region varies a lot. Some regions have many reports of children’s weight and height, often measured at school. For regions where children are less likely to attend school, or where such programmes are not in place, researchers made estimates relying on fewer sources.

Despite the researchers’ efforts, they may not have found all relevant data for the study.

Obesity in children can set them up for ill health later in life. It may be harder to lose weight as an adult, than to prevent too much weight gain in childhood. Public Health England said in a statement that it was “at the forefront” of addressing the problem through reducing sugar consumption and introducing a levy on sugar-sweetened drinks.

“Young People With Autism More Prone To Obesity” says new research . But is it true?

But occasional forays into Twitterland and other social media always seem to bring up interesting stuff. So I was fascinated to read an article entitled “Young People With Autism More Prone To Obesity” by Shaun Heasley.

Menu by George Lewis 1979

Menu by George Lewis 1979

In fact it is well worth a read.

According to research conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital for Children “…Children with autism and Asperger syndrome had significantly higher odds of overweight and obesity than control subjects. Older age, public insurance, and co-occurring sleep disorder were associated with overweight or obesity in this population.”

How as a parent of a son on the autism spectrum I know well all the issues surrounding ASD and diet. You can read one of my previous blog post on the subject here.

And , of course the whole issue of childhood obesity is one on the main health issues of the developed world.

But how true is it for younger people on the autism spectrum?

The best way to find out is to ask our readers. Either from the point of view of the autistic person directly or their caregivers.

So it would be great if you you could take part in the poll below which asks “Young People With Autism More Prone To Obesity” Do you agree?

It would be great if you would use the comments box below to share your thoughts in more detail.

Thanks very much in advance!


How to satisfy your pregnancy cravings the right way – and lessen your child’s chance of obesity or diabetes


Childhood obesity and diabetes

Childhood obesity and diabetes

Recent research has found that women should ensure they are not overweight or obese during pregnancy as it could increase their child’s risk of developing diabetes later in life.

But anyone who has been pregnant will tell you that sometimes you’ve simply got to give in to those pregnancy cravings.

Ice-cream is one of those foods that many mums-to-be can’t get enough of, so to make sure you don’t miss out, we’ve come up with an alternative way to get your ice-cream fix with our low GI ice-cream recipe.

Nutritionist and chef, Christine Bailey shows us just how easy and nutritious ice-cream can be with a few fresh ingredients.


This recipe is rich and creamy but low in calories thanks to the 0 calorie stevia sweetener, and the berry and mint combination keeps it refreshingly light for the taste buds. Use the season’s brightest berries to make this dairy free, gluten free recipe high in flavour.

It’s the perfect sweet treat for mums to be.

Life Study – a new research project to understand the lives and health of children announced!


Life Study - Research into childhood health

Life Study – Research into childhood health

Life Study, a research study which aims to understand and improve the lives of children and their families, has announced its that Leicester’s Hospitals which will host the next Life Study Centre. Read up more here.

Life Study is an internationally leading research study that will involve up to 80,000 babies born between 2014 and 2018 and their families across the UK. Life Study was happy to announce that Leicester will be the next and 2nd city to host Life Study. Life Study will provide insights into the health and wellbeing of children as well as making contributions to the health of children in the UK. The information collected will be used to support research and policies aimed at giving children the best possible start in life.

A big focus of the project is to develop a good picture of children’s lives in the UK today. Children from families of different ethnic and cultural groups have previously been underrepresented in earlier research studies which look at children. So it is vital they are included to ensure accurate research.



Professor Carol Dezateux, Scientific Director of Life Study said: “Life Study will help Leicester understand how to tackle key issues relevant to its children’s health and well-being. By working in partnership with Leicester’s Hospitals, Life Study will support research into children and families from an ethnically and socially diverse community.”

“The public health and policy priorities for child health in Leicester are closely aligned to those of Life Study. The information collected will help research into the childhood origins of important health problems such as obesity and diabetes and ultimately to inform future policies and healthcare services that meet local population needs.”

The first Life Study Centre, at King George Hospital in Ilford, was officially opened in March 2015 by actress, comedian and screenwriter Meera Syal who said “The wonderful thing about Life Study is that they are following so many families over such a long period, meaning we have a chance to answer some of those big questions about environment, genetic triggers and upbringing.”

Pregnant women planning to give birth at Leicester Royal Infirmary or Leicester General Hospital (LGH) and their partners will be invited to join Life Study and to come to the new Life Study Centre at LGH in the second half of their pregnancy, and again when their baby is 6 and 12 months old. Recruitment to the study will begin in summer 2015 and appointments will take place from September 2015.

“A large study like Life Study will bring funding into Leicester’s Hospitals over the duration of the study. To ensure that we are ready to start delivering the study as soon as possible, we and the Life Study have invested over one million pounds for facilities, equipment and staff. Life Study will be bringing around 20 new posts to Leicester’s Hospitals which include research midwives, research healthcare assistants and others. We are working hard to ensure that there is a dedicated Life Study Centre at Leicester General Hospital, with all the necessary staff ready to recruit the first study participants. We are very excited about this project and look forward to the launch later in the year.” said Professor Nigel Brunskill, Director of Research and Innovation at Leicester’s Hospitals and Professor of Renal Medicine at the University of Leicester