Obesity rates soaring worldwide!
According to the most comprehensive global assessment ever conducted on obesity titled Global Burden of Disease Study 2013, the last 30 years have seen obesity rising everywhere in the world. Some of the most dramatic increases are being seen in children and adolescents.
“I think we can be doing better. Governments are quick to proclaim that they’re working on issues, but then if you dig in, not a whole lot is going on beyond declarations,” stated Dr. Mark Tremblay, Director of Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute.
Dr. Tremblay talks about how to tackle obesity: investing in a wide variety of public education campaigns, legislation, restrictions on promotion of unhealthy foods to children, along with other measures.
Obesity rates are gaining ground in developing countries. Contributing to the problem, just as in developed countries, is the:
- Prevalence of unhealthy food
- Marketing of high-fat and high-sugar foods to children
- Lack of physical activity
Worldwide, 37% of adult males and 38% of adult females are overweight or obese. Among boys, 17% were overweight or obese in 1980 compared with 24% today. In 1980, 16% of girls were overweight or obese, compared with nearly 23% today.
There is work to be done.
5 Healthy Eating Tips
- Put utensils down.
- Take time to eat.
- Keep counters clean.
- Eat breakfast every morning.
- Never eat out of a package.
EDD – Exercise Deficit Disorder
The majority of American kids and adolescents have this so-called disorder.
Why cut gym classes from curriculum when childhood obesity rates have climbed every year since 1999?
Is exercise the miracle drug? Should we treat exercise as medicine?
Physical activity includes all movement – mowing the grass, raking leaves, washing the car.
Bones at risk
Inactive youths’ bones are at risk according to a new study published in Bone and Mineral Research. Teens who have a “couch potato” lifestyle risk having permanent negative effects on their bone health.
According to orthopedics professor Heather McKay of the University of British Columbia physical activity is critical for developing bone strength and density. 36% of the adult skeleton is developed during adolescence. The 4-year study looked at girls between ages 10 and 14 and boys between the ages of 12 and 16 measuring their bone development and monitoring their activity.
The 300 teen study found that only 43% of boys and 9% of girls were meeting the daily recommendation of 60 minutes of physical activity and the amount of activity they participated in lessened as they got older. Their bone strength declined compared with active teens. Prof. McKay says that the findings signal concerns for the long-term health risks for youth. Physical activity is not only important for cardiovascular health but skeletal health as well. Bone health needs to be developed in childhood and adolescence.
McKay hopes that the current findings promote physical activity in children and youth and that the investment needs to happen now. What will happen as this generation ages?