Prevention of childhood obesity in Spain: a focus on policies outside the health sector. SESPAS report 2010 / Prevención de la obesidad infantil en España: un enfoque en políticas ajenas al sector de la salud. Informe SESPAS 2010

Obesity is currently a global public health problem. Obesity in early life increases the risk of long-term energy imbalance and adult obesity and its comorbidities, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Since infancy and childhood are critical periods for the adoption of food preferences and physical activity, prevention strategies must intervene in these early periods to promote healthy habits and reduce risk behaviors. Trends in the prevalence of childhood obesity and overweight in Spain have continuously increased in the last three decades. Obesity and overweight currently affect 15 and 20% of Spanish children, respectively, and these percentages are among the highest in Europe. Childhood obesity is determined by social and economic factors pertaining to sectors other than the health system, such as advertising, the built environment, education and the school environment, transportation and the food environment. Following the Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach, the authors identified a series of multisector policy changes that may help to prevent and control the current rising trend of childhood obesity in Spain. The HiAP approach acknowledges that social factors including socioeconomic status, gender differences and the work-life balance are important to develop effective policy changes in the prevention of childhood obesity. A key to success in the prevention of childhood obesity in Spain through policy changes will depend on the ability to establish a policy with the explicit and primary goal of improving health outcomes, despite the anticipated resistance from various sectors and stakeholders (AU)

Actualmente, la obesidad es un problema de salud pública en todo el mundo. La obesidad temprana aumenta el riesgo de sufrir desequilibrio energético a largo plazo, así como de presentar obesidad en edad adulta o sus comorbilidades: diabetes tipo 2 y enfermedades cardiovasculares. Puesto que la infancia y la niñez son períodos cruciales para establecer las preferencias alimenticias y de actividad física, las estrategias de prevención deben iniciarse durante esta etapa para fomentar hábitos saludables y reducir los comportamientos de riesgo. La tendencia en la prevalencia de la obesidad y el sobrepeso infantil en España ha aumentado de forma continua en las tres últimas décadas. En la actualidad, la obesidad y el sobrepeso afectan a un 15 y a un 20% de los niños españoles, respectivamente, y estos porcentajes se encuentran entre los más elevados de Europa. La obesidad infantil viene determinada por factores sociales y económicos que son independientes del sistema sanitario, tales como la publicidad, el entorno, la educación y el ambiente escolar, el transporte y el entorno alimentario. Mediante el enfoque de la Unión Europea, Salud en Todas las Políticas, los autores identificaron una serie de cambios de política dirigidos a varios sectores y que podrían ayudar a prevenir y controlar la creciente tendencia actual de la obesidad infantil en España. Este enfoque reconoce que factores sociales como el nivel socioeconómico, las diferencias de género y el equilibrio entre la vida laboral y personal son importantes para la prevención de la obesidad infantil. El éxito de la prevención de la obesidad infantil en España dependerá en gran medida de la capacidad que tengamos para desarrollar políticas fuera del sector sanitario que tengan el objetivo explícito y primario de mejorar resultados en salud pese a la resistencia esperada de diferentes sectores económicos y partes interesadas (AU)

Prevention of childhood obesity in Spain: a focus on policies outside the health sector. SESPAS report 2010.

Obesity is currently a global public health problem. Obesity in early life increases the risk of long-term energy imbalance and adult obesity and its comorbidities, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Since infancy and childhood are critical periods for the adoption of food preferences and physical activity, prevention strategies must intervene in these early periods to promote healthy habits and reduce risk behaviors. Trends in the prevalence of childhood obesity and overweight in Spain have continuously increased in the last three decades. Obesity and overweight currently affect 15 and 20% of Spanish children, respectively, and these percentages are among the highest in Europe. Childhood obesity is determined by social and economic factors pertaining to sectors other than the health system, such as advertising, the built environment, education and the school environment, transportation and the food environment. Following the Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach, the authors identified a series of multisector policy changes that may help to prevent and control the current rising trend of childhood obesity in Spain. The HiAP approach acknowledges that social factors including socioeconomic status, gender differences and the work-life balance are important to develop effective policy changes in the prevention of childhood obesity. A key to success in the prevention of childhood obesity in Spain through policy changes will depend on the ability to establish a policy with the explicit and primary goal of improving health outcomes, despite the anticipated resistance from various sectors and stakeholders.