Preventing Childhood Obesity

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions worldwide and continues to rise in developed and developing countries. With its implications for chronic life threatening conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, and other chronic disabilities including musculoskeletal disorders, it is of major concern to health care providers and governments worldwide.   This book, evolving from a symposium of speakers from the Cochrane Collaboration and WHO Collaborating Centre researching into the causes and interventions in obesity, will be a unique and ground-breaking publication. Concentrating on community-based interventions, it will discuss what is and what is not effective in preventing overweight and obesity and reducing the incidence and prevalence. The text will be both an update of key components of the evidence: physical activity, nutrition, school based interventions, and community interventions broadly, as well as a practical text for the development and evaluation of community interventions. Since establishing preventive behaviours and supportive environments in early childhood within the family and community context is the most effective strategy for individual and population health and wellbeing, this text will focus on childhood obesity. This book will be an invaluable resource for public health practitioners, early childhood professionals, health care providers and clinicians working to reduce the incidence and prevalence of obesity in their communities. It is likely to have significant effect on health organizations worldwide that are seeking for solutions to an ever growing socio-political issue. In developing the project Elizabeth Waters says: "there is enormous merit and commercial potential for a text which provides an evidence based practice - practice based evidence approach to community interventions for child and adult overweight and obesity. A text providing evidence and recommendations for how to do community intervention and evaluation would be a top of the pops best seller as it is clear that this approach is going to be the most effective, and it is where the greatest lack of knowledge and skills is currrently." Elizabeth Waters is Chair of Public Health at Deakin University, Australia, and Director of the Cochrane Health Promotion and Public Health Field. She has authored over 10 systematic reviews and book chapters on evidence based public health and health promotion in the area of child health issues. Boyd Swinburn is Professor of Population Health at Deakin University, and President, Australasian Society for Study of Obesity. Jacob Seidell teaches at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. Ricardo Uauy is Professor of Public Health Nutrition, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Chile. CONTENTS Section 1: The Context. Introduction to section. 1 The childhood obesity epidemic ( Tim Lobstein, Louise Baur, Rachel Jackson-Leach ). 2 Lessons from the control of other epidemics ( Mickey Chopra ). 3 Childhood obesity prevention overview ( Ricardo Uauy, Rishi Caleyachetty, Boyd Swinburn ). 4 No Country for Fat Children? Ethical questions concerning community based programs to prevent obesity ( Marieke ten Have, Inez de Beaufort, Soren Holm ). 5 The human rights approach to childhood obesity prevention ( Naomi Priest, Boyd Swinburn, Elizabeth Waters ). Section 2: Evidence synthesis. Introduction to section. 6 Evidence framework for childhood obesity prevention ( Boyd Swinburn ). 7 Evidence of multi setting approaches for obesity prevention: translation to best practice ( Andrea Sanigorski, Christina Economos ). 8 Evidence of the influence of home and family environment ( Johannes Brug, Saskia te Velde, Ilse de Bourdeaudhuij, Stef Kremers ). 9 Obesity prevention in early childhood ( Ladda Mo-suwan, Andrea Sanigorski ). 10 Obesity Prevention in primary school settings: evidence from intervention studies ( Juliana Kain, Yang Gao, Colleen Doak, Simon Murphy ). 11 Obesity prevention in secondary schools ( Lauren Prosser, Tommy Visscher, Colleen Doak, Luis A. Moreno ). 12 The prevention of childhood obesity in primary care settings: evidence and practice ( Karen Lock, Rebecca Hillier ). 13 Links between children's independent mobility, active transport, physical activity, and obesity ( Carolyn Whitzman, Vivian Romero, Mitch Duncan, Carey Curtis, Paul Tranter, Matthew Burke ). 14 Evidence on the food environment and obesity ( Deborah Cohen ). 15 Food and beverage marketing to children ( Gerard Hastings, Georgina Cairns ). 16 Poverty, household food insecurity, and obesity in children ( Cate Burns, SJ Jones, Edward Frongillo ). 17 Socio-cultural issues and body image ( Helen Mavoa, Shiriki Kumanyika, Andre Renzaho ). 18 Developing countries perspective on interventions to prevent overweight and obesity in children ( Laura Irizarry Figueroa, Juan A. Rivera ). Section 3: Evidence generation and utilisation. Introduction to Section. 19 Evaluation of community based obesity program interventions ( Laurence Moore, Lisa Gibbs ). 20 Economic evaluation of obesity interventions ( Marj Moodie, Rob Carter ). 21 Monitoring of childhood obesity ( Jaap Seidell ). 22 Knowledge translation and exchange for obesity prevention ( Rebecca Armstrong, Lauren Prosser, Maureen Dobbins, Elizabeth Waters ). 23 The role of advocacy ( Jane Martin ). Section 4: Policy and practice. Introduction to section. 24 The role of policy in preventing childhood obesity ( Mark Lawrence, Boyd Swinburn ). 25 Developing the political climate for action ( Phil James, Neville Rigby ). 26 Community interventions: planning for sustainability ( Anne Simmons, Jean Michel Borys, Boyd Swinburn ). 27 Community capacity building ( Colin Bell, Eva Elliott, Anne Simmons ). 28 Social marketing to prevent childhood obesity ( Nadine Henley, Sandrine Raffin ). 29 Obesity in early childhood and working in pre-school settings ( Andrea de Silva-Sanigorski, Camila Corvalan, Ricardo Uauy ). 30 Working with schools ( Goof Buijs, Sue Bowker ). 31 Working in primary care ( Raina Elley, Karen Hoare ). 32 Working with minority groups in developed countries ( Lisa Gibbs, Mulugeta Abebe, Elisha Riggs ). 33 Developing countries' perspective on policies and practice ( Juliana Kain, Camila Corvalan, Ricardo Uauy ). 34 Preventing childhood obesity: looking forward ( Bill Dietz ).