Childhood obesity in Scotland 'growing alarmingly' as experts call for food industry crackdown
Childhood obesity has risen to "alarming" levels with experts calling for action to prevent unhealthy lifestyles setting in among babies and toddlers.
A report out today warns a child's expectation of living a healthy life is set early on and becomes "difficult to alter after the age of about five years".
Experts said the first 1,000 days of life – from pregnancy through to a child's second birthday – are "critical to development and health across the life-course" as they called for early action to prevent obesity in youngsters.
It comes amid warnings that childhood obesity in Scotland is "growing alarmingly" with 20 per cent of children at risk of being overweight by the time they enter primary one.
Young Scots from the most deprived parts of the country also have double the risk of experiencing obesity than those livng in the most affluent areas.
Experts said interventions were needed to help women to begin pregnancy at a healthy weight and encouraging breastfeeding - which is linked with a reduced risk of childhood obesity and avoiding 'rapid catch-up growth' in low birth weight babies.
"The overall goal should be to establish and maintain a healthy body-weight trajectory that avoids excess gain early in life,' experts from the UK Academy of Medical Sciences and the Italian National Academy of Sciences said.
In the UK, 1.3 million children are obese and a further 2.3 million are overweight.
The authors highlight how single interventions 'such as diet or physical activity, in single settings' rarely work without consideration of wider factors which may contribute to childhood obesity.
The report says that portraying obesity as a 'character flaw' leads to stigmatisation which can be counterproductive and may increase the risk of unhealthy diet and lifestyle, but positive messages about the benefits of maintaining a healthy weight may work better.
'Childhood obesity has become an urgent public health challenge that is both affecting lives today and storing up problems for the future,' the report states.
Dr Shoba John, head of Obesity Action Scotland, said the report mirrored what was happening north of the Border.
The health expert urged the Scottish Government to restrict the advertising of junk foods and ensure school meals met nutritional standards.
"Childhood obesity in Scotland is growing alarmingly, with 20 per cent of children at risk of overweight and obesity at primary one level," Dr John told the Record.
"Worryingly, children from deprived areas have double the risk of experiencing obesity at that age, an unacceptable disadvantage to start life with for any child.
"They continue to grow up in an unhealthy food environment replete with junk food ads, discounted sugary drinks and promotional deals on unhealthy food in retail stores.
"England is introducing mandatory healthiness targets for retail food. Scotland needs to urgently follow suit, restrict outdoor advertising of junk food and ensure that school meals adhere to national nutritional standards. Fiscal levers are key to reducing consumption of unhealthy food and drinks that have a bearing on obesity levels."
The authors of the new report said that "robust" regulation of the food industry is needed rather than relying on voluntary agreements, with evidence supporting taxation of unhealthy products and potential subsidies for healthier options.
'The first 1,000 days, including time in the womb, represent an important window of opportunity to set children on a healthy trajectory for life,' said Professor Susan Ozanne, co-chair of the report.
"Once obesity is established, it becomes increasingly harder to reverse. This isn't about individual willpower or blaming and shaming – it's about creating an environment for parents, carers and their children that supports healthy development from the very beginning."
The Record asked the Scottish Government for comment.
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