CR83
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Child Obesity Expected to Soar!
From MSNBC.com
Study: Child obesity expected to soar worldwide
Nearly half of kids in North and South America to be overweight by 2010
Updated: 8:15 a.m. ET March 6, 2006
LONDON - The number of overweight children worldwide will increase significantly by the end of the decade, and scientists expect profound impacts on
everything from public health care to economies, a study published Monday said.
Nearly half of the children in North and South America will be overweight by 2010, up from what recent studies say is about one-third, according to a
report published by the International Journal of Pediatric Obesity.
In the European Union, about 38 percent of all children will be overweight if present trends continue ? up from about 25 percent in recent surveys,
the study said.
Story continues below ↓
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?We have truly a global epidemic which appears to be affecting most countries in the world,? said Dr. Philip James, chairman of the International
Obesity Task Force and author of an editorial in the journal warning of the trend.
The percentages of overweight children also are expected to increase significantly in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Mexico, Chile, Brazil and
Egypt have rates comparable to fully industrialized nations, James said.
He estimated that, for example, one in five children in China will be overweight by 2010.
?They?re being bombarded like they are in the West to eat all the wrong foods. The Western world?s food industries without even realizing it have
precipitated an epidemic with enormous health consequences,? he said.
More junk food, less exercise
James said living in isolated areas was no longer a safeguard to securing quality of life or traditional eating habits.
He said children are ?being exposed to the world?s marketing might,? arguing that governments should step in. ?There needs to be a ban on all forms of
marketing, not just television adverts.?
Researchers analyzed a variety of published medical reports on obesity from 1980 to 2005 and World Health Organization data. They were able to track
the growth rate of obesity in school-age populations in 25 countries and in preschoolers in 42 countries.
Researchers concluded that the prevalence of childhood obesity increased in almost all the countries for which data were available, a trend fueled by
more sedentary lives and the increasing availability of junk food, among other factors.
The public health consequences of the trend alarm experts, said Dr. Phillip Thomas, a surgeon unconnected to the study who works extensively with
obese patients in the northwest England city of Manchester.
Because obese children tend to carry the problem into adulthood, Thomas and other doctors say they will tend to be sicker as they get older, suffering
from heart disease, stroke and other ailments stemming from their weight.
?This is going to be the first generation that?s going to have a lower life expectancy than their parents,? Thomas said. ?It?s like the plague is in
town and no one is interested.?
Another doctor who examined the journal report was Dr. Brian McCrindle, a childhood obesity expert and professor of pediatrics with a pediatric
hospital in Toronto.
He warned that the looming problem must be addressed.
?The wave of heart disease and stroke could totally swamp the public health care system,? he said.
He warned that lawmakers had to take a broader view of the looming problem ? and consider doing things such as banning trans fats and legislating
against direct advertising of junk food toward children.
?It?s not going to be enough any more just to say to the consumer ?You have to change your behavior,?? he said.
? 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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BDx13
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this is so scary. our kid is two, and so far, she still has really healthy eating habits - lots of fruit and vegetables. she's never had a french
fry or a mcnugget. we'll see how long that lasts, though!
If I fail math, there goes my chance at a good job and a happy life full of hard work.
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CR83
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That is so great to hear. We are the same way. Protein and veggies/fruit with every meal. We also make smoothies. My little on (21 months) LOVES
smoothies aka "Soo-mees"
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