22nd November 2005
A lack of physical activity may be the primary cause of increased rates of childhood obesity and if this obesity is maintained in adulthood it will lead to premature death, claims a new medical report (1).
The report, commissioned by leading disability insurer, UnumProvident, asserts that today’s sedentary environment is the main factor contributing to childhood obesity rates being four times higher today than 30 years ago, not junk food or advertising.
In the UK, it is estimated that the total cost of obesity, including NHS treatment, is £2.5 billion each year and that, on average, each obese person dies nine years prematurely. Not only is this a major cause for concern for the health industry, but it also impacts upon the insurance industry and its business clients. Obesity is estimated to have cost industry 18 million days in absence and 30,000 premature deaths in 1998 alone (2).
According to the Health Survey for England (3), one in six boys and girls aged 2 to 15 are obese and one in three are overweight.
Professor Michael O’Donnell, Chief Medical Officer at UnumProvident, said:
There is a greater propensity for obese children to become obese adults with most of the risk factors for heart and circulatory diseases, including raised blood pressure, increased cholesterol levels and insulin resistance. The fact that type 2 diabetes – a condition usually associated with middle-aged obese adults – is now being seen in children is of particular concern.
However, epidemiological studies show only a weak relationship between dietary fat and weight in young children and adults. Furthermore, the evidence to support a link between advertising and food consumption by children is contradictory. Thus, the problem seems to be more about reduced energy expenditure rather than increased energy intake.
Today’s children expend about 600 kcal/day less than children 50 years ago. Increased television watching and computer games lead to a more sedentary lifestyle in children as young as pre-school age. In a study of modern cities (4), over a third of children sampled spent less than five minutes walking per day.
Dr David Ashton, Group Medical Director for BMI Healthcare Ltd and Honorary Senior Lecturer in Clinical Epidemiology, National Heart and Lung Institute, contributing to the report, said:
Given that dietary strategies have failed to slow the rising tide of obesity in children, I believe a more fruitful approach would be to identify innovative ways in which to increase children’s activities in daily life. One obvious way to do this would be to invest in safe walk-ways and cycle tracks so that children could be physically active on the way to and from school.
Another practical strategy would be to include a daily walk of 30 minutes within the school curriculum. In one study from Toronto, youngsters engaging in 60 minutes of activity per day during school time, had better academic results than their relatively sedentary counterparts.
UnumProvident’s Chief Medical Officer’s report examines future trends in health and behaviour, including childhood obesity, the long-term effects of alcohol and reducing the risk of diabetes mellitus.
(1) ‘Facing UP to health, Chief Medical Officer’s Report 2005 – Taking responsibility for health in the 21st Century.’
(2) National Audit Office, 1998.
(3) Sproston K and Primatesta P (eds). Health Survey for England 2002.
(4) Roberts I, Carlin J, Bennett C, et al. An international study of the exposure of children to
traffic. 1997.
For a copy of UnumProvident’s Chief Medical Officers Report, please contact Pauline Waters on 01306 873 283.
ENDS