Report on childhood obesity calls for more investment, leadership and commitment

A report by the the National Academies' Institute of Medicine (IOM) released this week on childhood obesity, says that despite the public and media focus on obesity, not a great deal of progress appears to have been made.

The report, "Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity: How do we Measure Up?" has been a two year project and outlines what needs to be done in order to address childhood obesity in the U.S.

It says that even though obesity is now recognised to have reached a crisis point and is a major public health concern for children and youngsters, the wide and diverse efforts aimed at increasing physical activity and promoting healthful eating in general remain fragmented and small-scale.

The report says there is a marked under investment in the prevention of childhood obesity, and a lack of systematic tracking and evaluation of any interventions and strategies, especially when compared to what is devoted to other issues such as infectious disease outbreaks or bioterrorism events.

The report also says that getting to grips with childhood obesity is everyone's responsibility, including the federal government, state and local governments, communities, schools, industry media and families.

It calls for better leadership and commitment, the broader implementation and evaluation of policies and programs and better monitoring and surveillance of those programs.

Many experts believe that laying the blame totally on food companies and restaurants is possibly misleading and other factors contribute to the problem.

They say activist groups rather than pushing for regulations, litigation, and taxation of food, would be better employed in promoting parental and personal responsibility, physical activity and moderation.

There is clearly a need for something to be done as the obesity rate for U.S. children and youth rose from 16 percent in 2002 to 17.1 percent in 2004 and is forecast to reach 20 percent by 2010.

Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, vice president for academic health affairs at Emory University in Atlanta, who chaired the panel, says there is a proliferation of activity taking place across the country in schools, in the community and states, but little of it has been evaluated.

The Institute of Medicine advises the federal government on health matters, and is also calling for the Food and Drug Administration be given the authority to evaluate restaurants and fast food outlets to ensure that nutrition information is more accessible and relevant to young consumers.