OBESITY. Prevalence –European trend is alarming Half of the adults present pre-obesity or obesity One third of the children present overweight /obesity.

OBESITY

OBESITY

• Prevalence –European trend is alarming

• Half of the adults present pre-obesity or obesity

• One third of the children present overweight /obesity in the Southern European Countries

• Obesity is associated with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Precoce morbility have a great economic cost to the society

OBESITY

• Global epidemic situation is a result of the developing pattern – cheaper energy- dense food and sedentary life

• Inequalities: different from one European country to another. Greater in the social class of lower income

• Obesity is an economic, social, cultural and political question

• We hope from Europe an economic, social, cultural and political response

• WHO landmarks last 10 years

• Visions for universal prevention

STRATEGIES ON OBESITY

Lauren Lissner

Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University

Obesity: Preventing and Managing the Global Epidemic

WHO consultation, 1997, Geneva

WHO Technical Report Series 894, 2000

The WHO/FAO Expert Report on Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic DiseasesTR 916Published 23 April 03 in Rome

and most recently,

• Held in Istanbul 15 -17 November 2006, hosted by Turkish government

• Organized by WHO Regional Office for Europe in collaboration with EC

• Adoptation of European Charter on Counteracting Obesity

• Different levels of prevention, from universal to targeted approaches• Evidence on how to achieve primary prevention is scarce (cite Cochrane review of prevention in children)• A few quick examples from literature

–Singapore Trim and Fit, New Orleans policemen–New European trial: Idefics

• Encouraging trends in Sweden???–Levelling off of childhood obesity trends, BUT–Evidence of increasing social inequalities

• How to move on?

Prevention of Obesity

Influence of food advertising on children’s

obesity• UFC-Que Choisir’s studies demonstrate the

influence of  TV advertising on children food preferences and food behaviour: the 30% of children who are most exposed to advertising are also the ones who most pressurize their parents to buy food products and who eat the food products highest in fat and sugar. These results can be explained by the fact that 89 % of TV advertisements for children concerns products that are too high in fat, sugar or salt

S. Pradelle

Influence of food advertising on children’s

obesity

• This calls for the introduction of an advertising framework during children’s programs. But self –regulation is not the solution: the observation of these self defined directives show that they concentrate on minor aspects, without preventing the marketing of unhealthy food to children. Regulation can only enforce the recommendations that experts have been asking for so long: the banning of unhealthy food advertising during children programs

S. Pradelle

Epidemiology and risk factors on children obesity

• Having screening measurements of all the pre-puberty subjects at the school level using two measurements: Body Mass Index and waist circumference:

- In this way we could follow at school level all the

subjects and refer to the family doctors the subjects that are at risk. - Body mass index will give you an idea of

adiposity and waist circumference will give a regional

(i.e., abdominal) measurement of the risk for

metabolic syndrome.

Angelo Pietrobelli

Epidemiology and risk factors on children obesity

• Schools and media involvement in a global campaign, with specific peculiarities at local level (i.e., each region will develop their own plan) regarding the risk of excess of adiposity:

- we need to explain the risk factors - we need to show the cost for treatment - we need to underline the reduction in life

expectancy

Angelo Pietrobelli

Obesity and Sedentary Life

Physical activity and built environment

Fiona Bull