According to a new study from the Deakin University, obesity in Victorian pre-school children has dropped. Results have shown that rates of obese and overweight toddlers fell by more than 3 per cent for three-and-a-half year olds, down from 18.5 per cent to 15.4 per cent. For two-year-olds rates have dropped 1 per cent to 12.4 per cent.
According to researchers with Deakin's WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention who analysed Victorian maternal and child health service data from 225,430 kids aged two and three-and-a-half years between 1999 and 2007 this is “promising”. The study also revealed that decreases were more pronounced in lower socioeconomic areas.
“These results show promising signs that not only is overweight and obesity declining in some groups but that it may be possible to slow, even reverse, the widespread increase in obesity seen in recent years,” said Deakin Obesity expert, Prof Boyd Swinburn. He added that early childhood was a critical stage for embedding healthy habits saying, “There has been a lot of media awareness of childhood obesity ... and there has also been a range of initiatives promoting good nutrition and active play in early childhood settings in Victoria.”
A three year project called Romp & Chomp in Geelong showed that the decline of overweight and obesity in preschool children could be accelerated with low cost community support programs. However Prof Swinburn warned not be complacent with the results and he called for stronger policies to support parents by restricting the marketing of unhealthy foods to children. “The marketing of junk food to children which drives the pester power is still an enormous force undermining parents' attempts to create healthy diets for their children and regulatory action by government is long overdue,” he said.
The results are published online in the International Journal of Obesity.
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