Global F&V Newsletter

Childhood Obesity: The ECOG Obesity EBook on Child and Adolescent Obesity

Editorial

Child obesity is one of the most serious global public health challenges of the 21st century. During the last four decades, the number of school-age children and adolescents with obesity has risen more than 10-fold, from 11 million to 124 million in 2016. World Obesity Federation has estimated that some 280 million children (age 5-19y) will be living with obesity by the year 2030, the great majority of these living in low-income countries. In this issue of The Global Fruit & Veg Newsletter, Tim Lobstein gives a brief update on the most recent developments in prevalence of childhood obesity around the world.

In recent years, many studies have correlated the nutrition of the fi rst 1,000 days of life with the development of obesity. Early adoption of healthy eating habits could drive the development of favourable metabolic patterns, thus reducing the risk of obesity development later on. Margherita Caroli and Andrea Vania briefl y delineate why correct weaning practices are considered a pivotal factor of prevention at no cost in counteracting the epidemic of paediatric obesity.

Further, child obesity is increasingly recognized as a global child rights concern. Amandine Garde summarizes how a child rights approach to obesity increases the opportunities for, and pressure on, States to address the underlying determinants of health and effectively regulate the food industry. The article briefl y delineates why states must anticipate legal challenges, why regulation must be tailored to  achieve its objective and why political stakeholders  need to understand legal constraints to effectively  prevent childhood obesity.