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Britain faces childhood obesity epidemic
18 Jun 2008
Childhood obesity in the UK is close to reaching epidemic proportions, with the prevalence of the disease having more than doubled in the last 25 years, the National Obesity Forum has warned.
According to the World Health Organisation, a disease is recognised as entering an epidemic when it affects over 15 per cent of the target population.
Dr Colin Waine, chair of the National Obesity Forum, said: "The growth of childhood obesity has to be regarded as one the most urgent public health problems that we have to address… It is a very serious problem. In regards to the health of children, it is the most damaging problem that we have at the present time."
Government figures show that in England almost a quarter of adults and approximately ten per cent of children are currently obese, with a further 20–25 per cent of children overweight.
In January the government launched the Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives strategy which aims to reduce the proportion of overweight and obese children to levels recorded in 2000 by 2020.
The strategy's goal is to bring together employers, individuals and communities to promote children's health, from early years, to school and food and sports.
Highlighting the threat of childhood obesity to future health, Dr Waine added that in the long-term overweight children are at higher risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and several common cancers.
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