Childhood obesity and education

Abstract

This is a sequence of four photos taken within 10 min in a typical US diner, at the end of a boy’s meal with his parents. The boy (roughly 7 years old) did not touch the fruit, apart from playing around with a grape, but devoured the chocolate cake with voracity. The fruit was eventually discarded. The boy’s parents stared at their smartphones for most of the meal. The prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing worldwide. Behavioural and environmental factors in the family home, such as those related to healthy eating, have been shown to aff ect the risk of obesity in children. Moreover, evidence suggests t h a t child eating behaviours are associated with parent education and role modelling, family food rules, and family meal patterns. These factors can make it easier or more diffi cult for children to eat healthily. Eff ective interventions to encourage healthy eating in children are urgently needed.