Dr Ray O’Connor takes a look at the latest clinical papers on the growing global health problem of childhood obesity
Childhood obesity is a major public health problem worldwide due to its rapidly increasing prevalence, the increased risk of early-onset non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the reduced quality of life of the affected children and its implications for adulthood morbidity.
The global prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents aged five to 19 years has quadrupled in the last 41 years, with an estimated rate of increase in the age-standardised body mass index (BMI) of 0.32 kg/m2 per decade for boys and 0.40 kg/m2 per decade for girls. The…