March 24, 2005 – The establishment of integrated health programs in schools seems to be a promising avenue to fight against obesity in children, as evidenced by a Canadian experiment carried out in Nova Scotia1.
Researchers conducted a comparative study among 5,197 fifth-secondary students from 282 schools in this maritime province. Of these, 73 had a nutrition program and 7 were part of a mixed program focusing on healthy eating and physical activity. Students from the other 202 schools were not participating in any anti-obesity programs.
At the end of the study, the researchers observed that among the students who took the blended program, 18% were overweight and 4% were obese. This is significantly less than what was observed in schools with a nutrition-only curriculum (34% and 10% respectively), as well as in schools without a program (33% and 10% respectively). Better yet, the children in the mixed program seemed to adopt better lifestyles outside of school: they ate more fruits and vegetables, they participated more in physical activities and were less inclined to sedentary activities.
According to the researchers, this type of mixed program offers the opportunity to instill in the young people a better hygiene of life which will help them to improve their well-being in the future.
In the United States and Europe
In the United States, the Department of Health launched a national campaign a year ago to encourage Americans, young and old, struggling with overweight or obesity to make lifestyle changes.
In Europe, the European Union has just announced that it intends to tackle obesity in young people more specifically. It intends to encourage various partners, including the food industry, to adopt voluntary measures aimed at reducing obesity, starting next year.2.
However, it will take a few years before we can measure the effectiveness of these programs.
A growing phenomenon
In Western countries, the prevalence of obesity among children is trending dramatically.
In Canada, the rate of overweight and obesity has almost tripled among Canadian children in the past two decades3. In 2001, the number of overweight or obese children aged 7 to 13 was 1.5 to 5 times higher than in 1981. In 2002, the Canadian Pediatric Society estimated the proportion of children to be 25%. obese in the country4.
In the United States, obesity has more than tripled in the past four decades and now affects one in six children5.
In the 25 countries of the European Union, 24% of schoolchildren are overweight or suffer from obesity. Suspecting that the phenomenon has long been underestimated in Europe, the European Union believes that the continent is now facing an obesity epidemic “just as serious as the one affecting North America”.6
The actions of these countries are based on several factors, one of which has recently come to light: up to 70% of young people with obesity will remain obese into adulthood. The fight against this phenomenon then takes on its full meaning.
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
According to Associated Press and The Gazette.
1. Veugelers PJ, Fitzgerald AL, Effectiveness of School Programs in Preventing Childhood Obesity: A Multilevel Comparison, American Journal of Public Health, March 2005, Vol. 95, No 3, 432-5.
2. To find out more about the phenomenon of childhood obesity in Europe as well as the action plan that the EU wants to put forward: http://europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph_determinants /life_style/nutrition/platform/launch_en.htm [site consulté le 24 mars 2005].
3. Improving the Health of Canadians, Canadian Institute for Health Information, 2004. The document is available at: http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=media_25feb2004_b4_f [site consulté le 24 mars 2005].
4. Press release issued by the Canadian Pediatric Society: http://www.cps.ca/francais/medias/Communiques/MaiJuinPCH02.htm [site consulté le 24 mars 2005].
5. Baskin ML, Ard J, Franklin F, Allison DB, Prevalence of obesity in the United States, Obesity Reviews, February 2005, Vol. 6, No 1, 5-7.
6. To access the press release issued on March 15, 2005 by the European Union: http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/05/292&format=HTML&aged=0&language=FR&guiLanguage=en [site consulté le 24 mars 2005].
