1. CHILDHOOD
OBESITY
[innovation session]

2. THE PROBLEM
Childhood obesity is one of the most serious Globally, in 2010, the
public health challenges of the 21st century. number of overweight
children under the age
Overweight and obese children are likely to stay of five is estimated to
obese into adulthood and more likely to develop
be over 42 million.
noncommunicable diseases like diabetes and
cardiovascular diseases at a younger age.
Close to 35 million of
these are living in
developing countries.

3. THE PROBLEM
High Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Schoolchildren

4. THE PROBLEM
Increasing Number of Overweight Children Around the World

5. THE PROBLEM
Increase in Schoolchildren At Risk As Well

6. THE PROBLEM
Both Developed and Developing Countries Face the Challenge

7. THE PROBLEM
Factors that Influence Risk
• Obesity prevalence varies between ethnic groups within countries.
• Gender differentials in obesity prevalence are also frequently observed and need to
be considered in programme planning.
• Evidence shows that television advertising influences children’s food preferences,
purchase requests and consumption patterns and that increasingly children are being
exposed to a wide range of other marketing techniques.
• Peers can serve as remarkably powerful role models for children and may share their
unhealthy eating or exercise habits with them.
• Obesity is linked to socioeconomic deprivation
• There is some evidence that parental and household behaviours shape the food
and exercise habits of the child

8. THE CONTEXT
Economic Assessment of the Intervention at the Population Level
(Average Effect per Year)

9. THE CONTEXT
Cost per Life Year Gained in Good Health of Interventions to Tackle Obesity

10. THE OPPORTUNITY SPACE
Healthy Arkansas Initiative
• Arkansas Act 1220 of 2003 requires that
all public school students have an annual
BMI screening
• Recent initiatives that limited access to
vending machines in schools, while at the
same time providing healthier alternatives
• Efforts to increase physical activity in
schools

11. THE OPPORTUNITY SPACE
Singapore “Fighting Obesity”
• Compulsory membership of
Health Clubs for overweight
schoolchildren
• Monitor her height and weight
every month
• Teachers meet parents
regularly to recommend
healthier ways to prepare their
meals at home

12. THE OPPORTUNITY SPACE
The big lesson on behaviour change is that environments and service design
matter more than individual treatments/intervention

13. How do we redesign our
approach to tackling
childhood obesity?

14. DRIVERS OF BEHAVIOUR
Habits are repeated behaviours, often fairly automatic and
Habits sometimes difficult to control, triggered by environmental cues.
Habits can challenge motivations for behaviour change.
Beliefs about consequences, social norms and relative costs and
Beliefs benefits influence the behaviour changes that people are willing
to make.
Translating A perceived lack of time, reluctance toward short-term costs,
Intention into distractions and stress can heighten a risk of failing to start or
Action failing later on.
Automatic vs. Automatic attitudes are those that people are unable or unwilling
Self-Reported to retrieve from memory themselves. These often conflict with
Attitudes explicit or ‘self-reported’ attitudes (e.g. “I don’t like cake.”).
Moral Climate The effect that attitudes have on some behaviours is, in part,
determined by moral norms.
Adapted from UK Government Office for Science, Tackling Obesities: Future Choices, 2nd ed.

15. POSSIBLE ROUTES TO ACTION
• Food regulation
• Fat taxes
• Public awareness
• TV
• Cycling lanes
• Walking buses for children
• Slow food
• Personal health technologies

16. POSSIBLE ROUTES TO ACTION
Impact
Risk