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Preventing childhood obesity

June 2005
(NOTE: there is also a July 2008 update to this report)
Foreword
The BMA has long been concerned with the health of the public and believes that the significant increase in the levels of childhood obesity are a cause for great concern. The health behaviour of the nation’s children needs to be addressed immediately in order to ameliorate the long-term effects of poor nutrition and lack of exercise.

Poor nutrition and exercise levels have adverse effects on children’s health immediately and later in life. For example, an increase in childhood obesity has led to a resultant increase in childhood type 2 diabetes.

At the BMA’s annual representative meeting (2004) it was decided that nutrition and exercise in childhood needed to be revisited given the significant increases in childhood obesity. We believe that general practitioners and other healthcare professionals have a pivotal role in tackling this epidemic, in terms of both preventive measures and treatment.

The Westminster government’s white paper on Public Health, Choosing health, making healthy choices easier (2004), was launched during the writing of this report. Its recommendations will be commented on and discussed where appropriate in this report. The BMA welcomes the white paper and the government’s plans to tackle the obesity epidemic.

The Board of Science has previously produced two reports that broadly cover childhood nutrition and exercise.

The first, Growing up in Britain: ensuring a healthy future for our children (1999), discusses child health, with a focus on nutrition rather than exercise, from conception to the age of five.

The second, Adolescent health (2003) reviews nutrition, exercise and obesity in teenagers (13-19 year olds). This report serves in part to develop the 1999 report in order to cover children up to the age of 12 years. It highlights the main aspects of childhood nutrition and exercise, draws attention to the role of the clinician, and provides links to sources of further information. It also makes recommendations for tackling the obesity epidemic in the UK.

This report is a guide for general practitioners and other healthcare professionals on aspects of childhood obesity – it is not intended to be a comprehensive text.