Against the overweight in children

Child Health: Campaign against overweight starts

22/12/2014

Overweight and obesity are among the biggest health problems, especially in affluent industrialized countries. Not only adults, more and more children are too fat. An information campaign should now help to counteract this and emphasize the issue of child health.

Already many first graders are overweight
In view of the increasing number of overweight children, the Bavarian Minister of Health Melanie Huml will make child health a priority topic in the coming year. This is reported by the news agency dpa. According to the ministry, 8.4 percent of first graders in Bavaria are overweight. The CSU politician wants to counteract this now with an information campaign, because obesity at an early age entails an increased risk of disease in adulthood.

Subsequent health risks from overweight in childhood
Thus, various studies in the past have shown that severe childhood overweight can have serious downstream health effects, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes or various cancers. In addition, thick children often have health problems such as hypertension at a young age. According to the dpa, the minister said: „My point is to create an awareness.“ This also just before Christmas, a calorie-rich party. „You want to do something good for your children. But that does not mean you should let the kids feast on everything“, so Huml. In her opinion, healthy diet and exercise should come to the fore.

Number of overweight children has risen
The number of obese or even obese children has increased in most industrial societies over the past decades. According to the dpa report 7.8 percent of the first-years in Upper Bavaria are overweight, in Central Franconia it is 9.4 percent. „In northern Bavaria, the proportion of overweight children is higher than in southern Bavaria“, so Huml. In addition, she shared with: „Children with a migrant background are more overweight than children without a migrant background.“ Children from poorer families are more often overweight, according to a study by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). Next year, Huml wants to present a detailed child health report for Bavaria for the first time. (Ad)

Image: Petra Bork