 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
One in four children overweight by age three14 June 2007
Almost one in four children in the UK are overweight or obese, according to a UK-wide survey. Researchers calculated the body mass index (BMI) of 14,000 children and found that 18 percent of children were overweight. A further five percent were obese. Tim Cole, one of the lead researchers and a professor at the Institute of Child Health described the results as "striking and of great concern particularly at such a relatively young age". He added that he would not be surprised to see similar results in even younger children in the near future. Children who are overweight or obese at such a young age are likely to have problems with their weight later in life. Being overweight increases the likelihood of serious health problems such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Overweight individuals are also more likely to suffer from psychological problems such as low self-esteem. The researchers found some differences between ethnic groups. As many as one in three black Caribbean children were overweight, whereas only one in 10 Indian children were. Children in England were the least likely to be overweight or obese and had the lowest incidence compared to Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Less educated mothers tended to have more overweight children. Mothers with less than five GCSEs (grades A-C) had more overweight children compared to mothers who had more educational qualifications. Professor Cole further highlighted that the weight of parents had a bearing on childhood obesity: "It is an intergenerational process; the fatness of the parents is reflected in the fatness of the child". The children were enlisted in the Millennium Cohort Study; a nationwide study which has been monitoring thousands of children born between 2000 and 2002. The authors of the study hope their findings will assist public health policy. However, Professor Cole acknowledges how difficult it is to improve the situation simply through awareness campaigns: "This is a difficult problem to solve - getting children to change is so difficult when the baseline for appetite and activity are set so early on in life". Related informationBack to the latest health news
|
|
|
|
|
||||
 |
 |
|||||
| ||||||
 |
|
|
 |
|
|