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Across The Globe 1 in 10 School Children Are
Overweight
Posted 05/19/04
One in ten of the world's schoolchildren is overweight, and
about 45 million of them have an increased risk of developing diabetes, heart
disease and other illnesses before they leave their teens, according to the
first global assessment of child obesity.
The report, compiled by The International Obesity Task Force, estimates that at
least 155 million, or 10 percent, of kids between the ages of 5 and 17 are too
heavy, and almost 45 million of them are obese.
The findings were submitted to the World Health Organization on the eve of a
critical vote by the world's health ministers next week on the adoption of a
global strategy on diet, physical activity and health.
The strategy, which the U.N. health agency has been developing for two years,
aims to head off a worldwide crisis in chronic diseases linked to bad eating
habits and lack of exercise. A third of all deaths globally are from ailments
linked to weight, lack of exercise and smoking. Worldwide, the number of fat
people outstrips the number of hungry people.
The prevalence of overweight is dramatically higher in rich countries, but
developing countries are quickly catching up and rates are rising almost
everywhere.
In South Africa, 25 percent of teenage girls are too fat - similar to the
average in the United States, which has one of the world's biggest obesity
problems.
In Europe, childhood obesity has increased steadily, with the highest prevalence
in southern European countries. About 15 percent of children in northern Europe
are too fat, compared with about 30 percent in the south, the report estimates.
In Italy, a recent survey found that 36 percent of 9-year-olds were overweight
or obese.
While in some developing countries childhood obesity was most dominant among the
wealthy, it is also rising among the urban poor.
In the United States, overweight rose twice as fast during the 1990s in Hispanic
and black pre-teenage children than in white children, the report found.
The International Obesity Task Force, a coalition of independent obesity
scientists and research organizations, called on the World Health Organization
to help countries develop national obesity action plans with a high priority set
for tackling the prevention of childhood obesity.
"This report is the result of one of the most comprehensive collaborations
between experts in the pediatric field, all seriously concerned about what is
happening to children throughout the world," said one of the report's authors,
Dr. Ricardo Uauy, chair of public health at the London School of Hygiene and
Tropical Medicine. "We really cannot afford to delay any longer."
Actions that could be taken include providing more opportunities for exercise
and play, limiting television viewing and restricting junk food advertising and
marketing to children, Uauy said.
Source: Diabetes In Control.com: International Obesity
Task Force:
http://www.iotf.org/.
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