The importance of physical activity in the prevention of overweight and obesity in childhood: a review and an opinion

Abstract

The prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing and there are a number of theoretical reasons as to why intervention may be more effective in childhood. There are certain risk times for the development of obesity in childhood, which provide a basis for targeted intervention. In addition, tracking data supports the persistence of obesity, at least in later childhood, as well as cardiovascular risk factors. Physical activity is the discretionary component of energy expenditure and there is evidence that falling levels of physical activity are contributing to the obesity epidemic. Physical activity in children is related to developmental stage, is reduced with increasing age and is influenced by parental physical activity. While there is debate about the immediate health benefits of physical activity to children, there are data to support that lower physical activity levels and sedentary behaviours are associated with a higher prevalence of obesity in children. Physical activity is an accepted strategy in the treatment of established obesity (tertiary prevention). The role of physical activity in the prevention of obesity (primary and secondary prevention) is less clear. However a number of recent school-based interventions directed at either increasing physical activity and/or decreasing sedentary behaviours, have shown encouraging results. On balance, increasing physical activity in children is an attractive and non-restrictive approach to obesity prevention. To adopt this approach requires the support and involvement of many community sectors other than health.

Relationship between Children’s Body Mass Index and Parents’ Obesity and Socioeconomic Status: A Multilevel Analysis Applied with Luxembourg Data

“…Overweight and obesity in children are linked to the image that parents reflect and behaviour they try to inculcate in their children, in particular, food habits and physical exercise [25] [46]. In our study, physical activity of the mother or father was not associated to the children's overweight or obesity.…”

Parental influence on children’s physical activity in urban green spaces

“…Physical inactivity poses serious health risks for children and most of the chronic diseases observed at later ages have started to emerge during childhood periods (The Ministry of Health, 2014). PA during the childhood, on the other hand, is associated with many health benefits, including improving cardiovascular health (Janssen & LeBlanc, 2010;Timmons, et al, 2012; The Ministry of Health, 2014), better cognitive functioning (Sibley & Etnier, 2003;Timmons, et al, 2012), bone and skeletal health (Gunter, et al, 2012;Timmons, et al, 2012), motor skill development and psychosocial health (Timmons, et al, 2012), reducing obesity (Trost, et al, 2001;Steinbeck, 2001; The Ministry of Health, 2014) and lower symptoms of depression and anxiety (Strong, et al, 2005;Motl, et al, 2004;The Ministry of Health, 2014). Likelihood that development of healthy lifestyles later in adulthood is contributed by PA during childhood (Hallal, et al, 2006), including early childhood (e.g.…”

Leisure-time physical activity and sedentary behavior clusters and their associations with overweight in middle-aged French adults

“…[1][2][3] Although the longitudinal relationship between physical activity level and obesity has been questioned, 4 this association has been documented in a number of cross-sectional studies. [5][6][7] Recently, Besson et al 8 using data obtained from adults in nine European countries included in the EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and nutrition) study, showed a strong inverse relationship between total physical activity and body mass index (BMI), independent of age, gender and country, as well as other potential confounding factors, including energy intake.…”