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Uzbekistan Announces Childhood Obesity Priority Actions
Australian Research Links Salt and Sweet Beverage Consumption
Researchers from the Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at Deakin University in Australia reported that cross-sectional data from a 2007 national children's survey indicated dietary salt intake predicted the amount of fluids the children drank and the amount of sugar-sweetened beverages consumed, with the latter also associated with obesity risk. Sixty-two percent of the 4283 participants, ages 2–16 years, drank sugary beverages. Each additional gram per day of salt intake was associated with a 17-gram per day increase in sugary beverage consumption. Children who drank more than one 250-gram or larger serving of sugary beverages per day were 26% more likely to be overweight or obese. Older youngsters and those of a lower socioeconomic status were more likely to consume the sugary drinks. The authors conclude in the journal Pediatrics that “salt reduction strategies may be useful in childhood obesity prevention efforts.”
Dutch Team Finds Short Message Service Effective in Reducing Program Dropouts
While lifestyle programs can help children lose weight, it can be hard for them to maintain and adhere to treatment. Researchers at Erasmus MC University Medical Centre in The Netherlands investigated whether a new technology could help and found a Short Message Service Maintenance Treatment effective in decreasing dropout rates in a pediatric lifestyle intervention. The team randomly assigned 73 of the 141 overweight and obese youngsters participating in a lifestyle program to receive the messaging for 38 weeks, while the others participated in the same program without the messaging. The researchers found no difference in BMI reductions between the two groups after a year, but the messaging group was less likely to drop out, according to an article in Health Psychology.
Saipan Children's Health Summit Addresses Obesity
With schoolchildren's obesity becoming a serious challenge in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands—only 56% of the country's students are of normal weight—the Public School System (PSS) held the “Healthy Children Healthy Future” conference in Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. The conference, which was open to the public, focused on obesity prevention and wellness. PSS associate commissioner for instruction and services Jackie Quitugua told a local newspaper, the Saipan Tribune, that she hoped participants would walk away with ideas about childhood obesity prevention.
Metformin Improves Obese Children's BMI, UK Study Finds
Metformin therapy helped in reducing obese children's BMI, which was sustained for 6 months, as well as fasting glucose levels, according to a study in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. The research team conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled trial in which 74 obese children at six pediatric endocrine centers in the United Kingdom were given 1.5 grams of metformin daily to assess the drug's effects on body composition, metabolic risk factors, and adipokines. Seventy-seven children served as a control group. All of the youngsters had hyperinsulinemia and/or impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance. “Our findings provide evidence that a treatment course of metformin is clinically useful, safe and well-tolerated in obese children who are at risk for type 2 diabetes,” said Deborah Kendall, MD, of Royal Manchester Children's Hospital in the United Kingdom and lead author of the study. “Metformin may also provide stimulus for lifestyle changes and potentially reduce long-term risk for type 2 diabetes and its associated health problems.”
National Cayman Conference Addresses Childhood Obesity
Healthcare 20/20, a national conference for the Cayman Islands, included childhood obesity as a main focus. About 29% of the island's children, ages 3–6 years, are overweight or obese. By primary school age, that number increases to 34%. A panel of medical and other experts discussed the importance of healthy eating, watching portion sizes, and engaging in physical activity. One pediatrician emphasized the importance of daily exercise, not just for a healthy weight but for overall health. Bethany Smith, with the Cayman Islands Health Services Authority, discussed the need for more sidewalks, bike lanes, and public spaces. The panelists agreed that obesity prevention must begin before birth and include the promotion of breastfeeding. Members of the audience suggested extending maternity leave to allow more time for breastfeeding.
Contributing Factors to Japanese Children's Obesity
Japanese researchers investigated urban versus rural factors that may contribute to variations in children's overweight or obesity rates. They measured physical activity, 24-hour activity, and food records for 227 children, ages 11–12 years from two urban and four rural elementary schools. Children in rural areas were more likely to be overweight or obese than urban children, and youngsters in rural areas walked fewer steps per day, expended less energy, had lower physical activity levels, and walked to school less than their urban counterparts. Energy intake was about the same for the two groups. The researchers reported in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism that “physical activity and duration of the walk to school were significantly correlated with body mass index.”
Romanian Children Becoming Heavier
A report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France, indicates that the percentage of children in Romania who are overweight increased from 6% in 2005 to 14% in 2010. In the earlier study, the percentage of overweight children in Romania was half that of the European Union average, but in the more recent assessment, the percentage of overweight Romanian children was 1% more than the 13% European average. Boys are gaining more weight than girls and the study found 20% of the males age 15 were overweight, while only 8% of the girls fell into that category.
New Zealand Health District Offers Children's Weight Management Program
The Waikato District Health Board added screen time to measures looked at in Bodywise, a 14-month, family-focused, multidisciplinary weight-management program for overweight children ages 5–12 years. Physicians refer children to the program. Children are initially assessed at Waikato Hospital's Children's Clinic, but much of the activity takes place at Sport Waikato. The team focuses on good choices about foods, exercising, and now, limiting screen time. The program includes parents in the initial assessment and the six weeks of twice-weekly sessions. Rather than trying to initially achieve weight loss, the team sets out to slow or halt weight gain as the children grow taller. About two-thirds of participating children achieve that goal. The Bodywise program is currently conducting a long-term evaluation to determine whether the initial changes are sustained.
Brazilians Find Maternal Smoking Association with Childhood Obesity
Researchers from the State University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil reported in Frontiers in Integrative Physiology that “we can learn from the developmental programming induced by maternal smoking, and its future impact on endocrine dysfunction and obesity that in addition to its clear toxic effects, tobacco smoke has long-term effects contributing to the obesity epidemic.” The team conducted a review of several epidemiological and experimental studies, showing a connection between maternal nicotine or tobacco exposure and the child becoming obese and suffering from endocrine dysfunction. They were unable to determine all of the mechanisms that lead to obesity after exposure to smoke early in life, but adipogenesis, or hormonal changes, including epigenetic alterations, occur. They suggested a smoke-free environment for promoting better health outcomes and additional study into the pathophysiological mechanisms that take place.
Canadian Organization Launches Bring Back Play Campaign
ParticipACTION of Toronto, Canada, has started a Bring Back Play campaign to rally and inspire parents to motivate children to move more. A study commissioned by the not-for-profit organization, supported by Sport Canada, found that more than half of Canadian parents of school-aged children played outside games daily as a child, but only 19% of current youngsters partake in such games as hide and seek, jump rope, or tag. The campaign includes a 30-second advertisement, digital banner ads, print ads, a Web site and social media channels, a bus tour to schools, and a Web-based app, developed in partnership with Active Healthy Kids Canada, to help parents recall the games they fondly remember playing as a child, teach their children those games, and submit more active games to share with other parents.
Brunei Developing Pediatric Obesity Program
Staff and students from the Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), officials from the Brunei Darussalam Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education, and international obesity experts met to develop policies for the nation's “Pediatric Obesity Weight Evaluation and Reduction Programme” and came up with a comprehensive range of ideas for tackling the country's childhood obesity problem. Ajan Fofanah, a master's student at UBD, attributed the problem to cultural issues, such as it being considered rude to refuse a food or beverage while a guest in someone's home, and cost of healthy food and activity opportunities, such as gym memberships, which are off limits to children. The group came up with ideas to recognize schools promoting healthy activities and providing healthy foods in the cafeteria. The event was part of a larger initiative being held at the university's PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences, called Embracing Communication Technology for Pediatric Obesity Weight Management and Reduction (POWER) Workshop Series.
WHO Seeks Collaboration in Addressing Childhood Obesity
The WHO Collaborating Centres for Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity held a regional meeting in Germany to discuss the challenges of childhood obesity prevalence not decreasing, the persistence of poor nutrition in some countries, and deterioration of dietary habits. Participants identified action points and areas in which interested parties can collaborate, such as in monitoring, modeling, and forecasting the effects of obesity; developing common methods for dietary assessments; monitoring food marketing practices; identifying salt intake; and providing advice on assessing sugar intake and the effects of intervention programs. They also set policy priorities. Then the WHO shared an overview of the work its associated offices and centers are undertaking to combat these problems.
European-Developed Calculator Predicts Children's Obesity Risk
An international team of researchers led by professors at the Imperial College London, UK, has developed a simple formula that can predict at birth whether the child is likely to become obese in his or her youth. They hope it can serve as a first step in focusing early prevention efforts. The authors, writing in PLOS ONE, said that parents might be receptive to routine advice about how to keep their child's weight down during the first 2 years of life when they are sensitive to information about their youngster's health. Analyzing the lifetime Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986, the authors drew from traditional risk factors, such as the BMI of the parents, birth weight, the number of people in the household, the mother's professional status, and whether she smoked during pregnancy. They then validated their model using data from other countries' datasets. Parental BMI was a large contributor to the risk of childhood obesity. They found genetic variations were not good predictors of obesity risk. “All the data we use are well-known risk factors for childhood obesity, but this is the first time they have been used together to predict from the time of birth the likelihood of a child becoming obese,” said Professor Philippe Froguel at the Imperial College. “Once a young child becomes obese, it's difficult for them to lose weight, so prevention is the best strategy, and it has to begin as early as possible. Unfortunately, public prevention campaigns have been rather ineffective at preventing obesity in school-age children. Teaching parents about the dangers of over-feeding and bad nutritional habits at a young age would be much more effective.” The test is free and takes seconds to complete.
Denmark Repeals “Fat Tax”
One year after the plan began, Danish lawmakers have repealed a tax on food high in saturated fats, and the tax ministry said it would cancel plans for a sugar tax. The fat tax added a surcharge on foods with more then 2.3% fat, such as butter and cheese. The tax raised $216 million, but retailers complained that Danish shoppers went to other countries without such a tax to purchase high-fat content foods. Lawmakers had hoped the tax would help the country address a rising obesity rate.
Partnership Aims to Prevent Childhood Obesity in Barbados
CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank in Barbados has teamed up with the Lions Club to fight childhood obesity. The bank donated money to the club to purchase testing equipment, including scales and monitoring machinery, for a new pilot program developed in collaboration with both the Ministries of Health and Education. The project will study children ages 9–13 years old in 10 randomly selected primary schools and 8 secondary schools. The program will focus on high-risk students, those already overweight or obese or who have a family history or other markers, and aims to reduce the number of children with prediabetes or who are overweight or obese. Participating children will learn more about obesity-related conditions through a school program. The project began in January and during the following 3 years, the children will be given protocols to follow and then be tracked for changes in weight, eating patterns, and glucose control.
German Study Finds Reducing Obesity-Related Co-Morbidities Difficult
Achieving sufficient weight loss to improve obesity-associated co-morbidities was difficult in clinical practice, according to a study from researchers at the University of Witten/Herdecke, Germany and reported in the International Journal of Obesity. The team analyzed the effectiveness of treating obesity-related comorbidities in 11,681 children at 175 pediatric obesity care centers in Central Europe and found after a median follow up of 1.2 years, the youngsters experienced a mean reduction of −0.15 standard deviation score BMI. However, while the prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension went down, elevation of triglycerides and low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, and impaired fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance stayed about the same. Providers rarely used drug treatment to address hypertension, dyslipidemia, and type 2 diabetes. The authors concluded that “future analyses should identify reasons for this insufficient drug treatment of comorbidities.”
Canadian Hospital and City Team Up on Early Intervention Program
The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and Toronto Public Health are collaborating on STOMP Early Years, a weight-management program for children ages 6 months to 5 years. The hospital already operates STOMP, a 2-year intensive program for overweight teens, ages 12–17 years old. The early intervention program aims to improve youngsters' health, coordination of care, and communication with health providers. It includes a home visit from a public health nurse and involves the entire family in changing behaviors. It also educates future health care providers about the proper care of obese children and seeks to learn how to improve their health through research. STOMP uses cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and family therapy to help participants learn more about how thoughts and feelings are associated with behaviors and to improve overall functioning and increase healthy living. Physicians must refer children to the program.
Parents' Educational Status Mediating Factor in Adhering to Diet, Greek Study Finds
Researchers from the Harokopio University in Athens, Greece, investigated the effect parental education levels might have on adherence to the Mediterranean diet among 1125 children, ages 10–12 years. They conducted a cross-sectional survey of the children and their parents and calculated the children's BMI, and found 27.7% overweight and 6.3% obese. In families with at least 1 parent who achieved a high educational level, the team found an inverse association with adherence to the diet, but not when both parents were not well educated, according to the article in the International Journal of Public Health.