Childhood obesity: a challenge for primary care teams

INTRODUCTION

The prevalence of overweight and obesity has substantially increased globally during the past few decades, in both children and adults. It has been estimated that in 2014 worldwide approximately 41 million children under the age of 5 years were either overweight or obese, and obesity in children is now a major public health issue due to its rising prevalence and because of its strong association with chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, and renal failure, and increased cardiovascular risk in adulthood. It has been reported that, for children aged 6 years, who were found to be obese at the age of 4 years, there was >50% risk of being bullied at school.¹ Further, it is known that obesity during childhood can lead to social isolation and depression. Child obesity is also a social issue and inversely associated with the degree of socioeconomic deprivation, as confirmed by the findings of the UK Millennium Cohort Study.² If current trends prevail, it is estimated that by 2025 as many as 91 million children might be obese globally.