Nursery World - Childhood Obesity: Swing into action

Are we getting any closer to understanding childhood obesity? And
what should early years practitioners be doing to help prevent it?
Professor Pinki Sahota offers expert advice.

Currently within the UK over one third of children of pre-school age are overweight and obese and it is estimated that a tenth (9.5 per cent) of UK children are already obese when they start school ⁽¹⁾. Although recent UK data indicate that rates appear to be levelling off in four- and five-year-olds, prevalence remains high, with increased rates amongst low-income and some ethnic groups⁽¹⁾.

Childhood obesity begins in early childhood ^{(2, 3)}, with evidence emerging about the impact of obesity on early health. There is evidence of high cholesterol, high blood pressure and abnormal glucose metabolism present in nine-year-olds ⁽⁴⁾. Furthermore childhood obesity is known to track into adulthood and contribute to obesity-related conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers and osteoarthritis ⁽⁵⁾.

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