Prevention of Childhood Obesity
Joining forces…
Caroline Bollars
Technical Officer, Nutrition Policy
Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity
World Health Organization - Regional Office for Europe
World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe
Burden of disease by broad cause group
and region, 2004
3
WHO/EUROPE: mandate for action
Policy framework
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Individuals alone are not responsible changing the social, economic and
physical environment
Responsibility of government across
sectors
Involvement of all stakeholders
Portfolio of interventions designed to
change the social, economic and physical
environment
Portfolio of policy tools (from legislation
to public/private partnerships)
International coordination
Special focus on children and on
disadvantaged socioeconomic population
groups
Action Plan for the Implementation of the
European Strategy for the Prevention and
Control of Noncommunicable Diseases
2012-2016
WHO/Europe
RC; Baku 2011
What are we going to do?
Planning &
oversight
Health in
all policies
Healthy
Settings
Secondary
prevention
Workplaces &
Schools
Cardiometabolic risk
assessment &
management
Active Mobility
Early detection
of cancer
Fiscal policies
National plan
Marketing
Health info sys
with social
determinants
disaggregation
Salt
Trans-Fat
Health Promotion
HQ and EURO policy frameworks/strategies
endorsed by Member States (Nutrition)
• Global
– 2004: WHO Global
Strategy on Diet, Physical
Activity and Health
– 2003: Global Strategy for
Infant and Young Child
Feeding
• Regional
– 2007: WHO European
Action Plan for Food and
Nutrition Policy 20072012
– 2006: European Charter
on Counteracting Obesity
– 2005: European Strategy
for Child and Adolescent
Health and Development
European framework to
promote physical activity for
health (this framework has
not been officially endorsed
by MS at a RC)
Creating Platform for Action together…
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Overweight still a big public health challenge, particularly in low socioeconomic groups.
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47 Member States (90%) developed a national policy in the area of food, nutrition and/or
obesity.
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Six action networks were established to facilitate implementation of the European Action Plan:
 Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI)
 salt intake reduction in the population
 marketing of foods and beverages to children
 Nutrition-Friendly Schools Initiative (NFSI)
 hospital nutrition
 obesity and inequalities
.
European database on nutrition, obesity and
physical activity (NOPA)
Overview Policy Actions Implementation 27 EU MS
Food Based Dietary Guidelines
No Action
Guidelines Physical Activity
Partly Implemented
Subsidized School Fruit Scheme
Fully Implemented
Policy Actions
School Vending Machines
Promote Active Travel
Initiatives to reduce Salt
Increase healthier processed foods
Measures to affect food prices
Legislation labelling energy
Signposting Food Products
Regulation Marketing
Baby Friendly Hospital
Promotion Breastfeeding
EU Member States
Action Networks
• European Childhood Obesity Surveillance
Initiative;
• NFSI – Nutrition Friendly Schools Initiative;
• ESAN – European Salt Action Network;
• Marketing Food to Children Action Network;
• Hospital Nutrition;
• Obesity & Inequalities.
WHO European
Childhood Obesity
Surveillance Initiative
Prevalence of overweight and
obesity among 6–9-year-old children
in twelve European countries
Overweight among European school children
Prevalence of overweight, incl. obesity
Based on the 2007 WHO growth reference for children and adolescents 5-19 years
Prevalence (%)
50
40
30
9-year-olds
20
8-year-olds
7-year-olds
10
0
6-year-olds
Belgium Bulgaria
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Norway Portugal Slovenia Sweden
Countries
Source: WHO, 2010
What are the critical factor for success?
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Intersectoral;
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Resources allocated;
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Community
development and
involvement;
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Evaluation and
reporting;
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Better use of the
networks;
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Monitoring and
evaluation;
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Health sector capacity
development;
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Links with other
policies (rural dev;
poverty reduction, etc.)
•
Leadership.
•
win-win situations
with the other
sectors like
agriculture and
health – F&V;
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Ownership;
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High level
endorsement and
commitment;
How best to respond?
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“We need a whole
of government and
a whole of society
response”
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Margaret Chan,
director general,
WHO
www.who.int or www.euro.who.int