King's College. UK: A third of children in England are overweight/obese, finds a
20-year King's College London study of electronic health records,
published online in Archives of Disease in Childhood. But the rapid rise in prevalence may be starting to level off—at
least in younger children—the findings indicate, although there are no
grounds for complacency, warn the researchers.
They scrutinised the anonymised electronic health care records of
more than 370,500 children, aged 2 to 15, who had accumulated more than
half a million weight (BMI/body mass index) assessments, between them,
over a period of 20 years (1993 to 2013).
The researchers wanted to track any changes in the prevalence of overweight and obesity over these two decades.
The children were patients at 375 general practices across
England. Their anonymised health data had been entered into the UK
Clinical Practice Research Datalink, a large database containing the
health records of around 5.5 million patients registered with 680
general practices around the UK.
The analysis showed that between 1994 and 2003 the prevalence of
overweight and obesity in all children increased by just over 8 per cent
each year. But the rate slowed substantially between 2004 and 2013 to
0.4 per cent a year, suggesting that it may have levelled off, say the
researchers.
Trends were similar for both boys and girls, but differed by age group.
Among the boys, the prevalence of overweight/obesity among 2-5
year olds ranged from around one in five (19.5 per cent) in 1995 to one
in four (26 per cent) in 2007. Among 6-10 year olds, prevalence ranged
from 22.6 per cent in 1994 to 33 per cent in 2011.
The highest figures were seen in 11-15 year olds, among whom the
prevalence of overweight/obesity ranged from around one in four (26.7
per cent) in 1996 to almost four out of 10 (37.8 per cent) in 2013.
These patterns were similar among girls. The prevalence ranged
from 18.3 per cent in 1995 to 24.4 per cent in 2008 among the youngest,
and from 22.5 per cent in 1996 to 32.2 per cent in 2005 among 6-10 year
olds.
Once again, the highest rates were among 11-15 year olds, ranging
from 28.3 per cent in 1995 to 36.7 per cent in 2004 and 2012.
Overall, the increase in rates of overweight/obesity was
significant for all age groups in the first decade of the study, but it
was only significant in the second decade for 11-15 year olds.
Rates among this age group continued to rise in the second decade, albeit more slowly than in the first.
'There are several possible theories for the recent stabilisation
of childhood overweight and obesity rates,' write the researchers. 'One
explanation may be that rates have reached a point of saturation.'
Alternatively, public health campaigns may actually be starting to work,
they say.
In a linked editorial, Professor Julian Hamilton-Shield and Dr
Debbie Sharpe, of the University of Bristol, point out that the
implications for such levels of teen obesity are 'profound' in terms of
current and future health.
They go on to say that many of the techniques used by local
authorities in England, who have assumed responsibility for obesity as
part of their public health remit, are not based on strong evidence, and
there is little in the way of outcomes data to determine how successful
they are.
Furthermore, many parents and clinicians remain to be convinced
that childhood obesity is a serious enough health concern, they say,
suggesting that it may be time to revisit the idea of implementing a
‘fat tax.’
'Thus far, we simply do not seem to have the tools to manage this
problem effectively,' write the editorialists. 'The childhood obesity
crisis in England is far from over, and our current weapons in the war
against fat seem unlikely to provide the answer.'
They add: 'The recent call to the chief medical officer to develop
a ‘child obesity action group’ may prove a first step in what is likely
to be a very long campaign.'
Notes to editors
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