"Eleven Core Knowledge and Skills for The Prevention and Control of Obesity in Children and Adolescents" was officially released on World Obesity Day!

March 4, 2022 is the eighth World Obesity Day, and the theme of this year's World Obesity Day is "Everybody needs to act on obesity prevention and control, you and I act together".

To this end, the Working Committee for the Prevention and Control of Childhood and Adult Diseases (Chronic Diseases) of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association and the Obesity Prevention and Control Branch of the Chinese Nutrition Society jointly issued the "Eleven Core Knowledge and Skills for the Prevention and Control of Obesity in Children and Adolescents".

Eleven core knowledge and skills for the prevention and control of obesity in children and adolescents

1

Childhood obesity is a chronic disease that affects lifelong health.

Obesity can cause metabolic abnormalities such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, hyperuricemia, fatty liver, muscle and bone underdevelopment in children, increasing the risk of premature occurrence of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and certain cancers, posing a threat to health.

2

Childhood obesity is influenced by a variety of factors.

Childhood obesity is the result of a combination of genetics, dietary nutrition and eating behavior, physical activity and static lifestyle, sleep behavior, environmental risks and other factors.

3

There are four "sensitive periods" of obesity during growth and development.

The fetal period, infancy, fat recondension period (5-7 years old) and puberty are the most active stages of fat development and the fastest proliferation of fat cells in the whole process of human growth and development, which is a physiologically sensitive period prone to obesity and a "key window period" for preventing obesity.

4

Risk factors for childhood obesity.

Maternal pre-pregnancy obesity, excessive weight gain during pregnancy, gestational diabetes, intrauterine malnutrition and growth retardation, low birth weight and macrosomia, bottle feeding methods in infancy, premature addition of complementary foods and overfeeding, early age of fat reconditioning, excessive fat growth in adolescent body and bone mineral mass and muscle mass development, etc., are not only closely related to childhood and adolescent obesity, but also increase the risk of obesity in adulthood.

5

Promote healthy parenting and mentoring.

Parents should choose healthy ways to raise their children and avoid exposing them to risk factors such as obesity-prone diets, behaviors, and the environment. Schools, parents and child health workers should guide children and adolescents to develop healthy lifestyles and behaviors from an early age.

6

Develop scientific eating behavior.

Healthy infants within 6 months of age should be exclusively breastfed, and complementary foods should be added in a timely, appropriate and step-by-step manner at the age of 6 months. From early childhood, develop healthy eating behaviors, eat regularly, reduce the intake of high-oil, high-sugar, and high-salt foods, and correct picky eating behaviors. Acquire the skills to choose healthy foods from school age and develop and maintain healthy eating behaviors.

7

Develop an active lifestyle.

Children and adolescents have a cumulative daily time of more than 180 minutes of physical activity of various types, of which moderate and above intensity activity time is not less than 60 minutes. Sedentary behavior should be minimized every day, and the duration of any sedentary behavior should be limited to 60 minutes at a time, with the less screen entertainment time the better.

8

Develop healthy sleep behaviors and habits.

Healthy sleep consists of three elements:

Get enough sleep

The recommended sleep time per day is 13-18 hours for 0-3 months old, 12-16 hours for 4-11 months old, 11-14 hours for 1-2 years old, 10-13 hours for 3-5 years old, 10 hours for elementary school students, 9 hours for junior high school students, and 8 hours for high school students.

Quality sleep

Fall asleep quickly, sleep deeply, no night up or little night, no dreaming phenomenon, get up quickly, get up in the morning and be in good spirits.

Good habits

Go to bed at night, get up at a fixed point in the morning, get up early and go to bed early without staying up late, and don't do things that have nothing to do without sleep in bed.

9

Do a good job of monitoring children's growth and development.

Children should undergo regular health check-ups, and once overweight is found, interventions such as diet and exercise should be taken as soon as possible under the guidance of a doctor. If it is assessed as obese, it should be diagnosed and treated in a professional institution in time.

10

Timely treatment of childhood obesity and comorbid diseases.

Lifestyle interventions and weight management are taken for obese children, and active attention is paid to the presence of hypertension, fatty liver, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, hyperuric acid, hyperglycemia, and abnormal bone and joint development in children. Children with the above conditions should be treated professionally under the guidance of a doctor.

11

Create a friendly and healthy family atmosphere.

Parents should set an example of a healthy lifestyle and guide, support, encourage and accompany children to develop a healthy lifestyle. Advocate parents and children to exercise together, and create a good atmosphere of family sports and active lifestyle.

Origins of World Obesity Day:

Obesity has become a global epidemic. In order to advocate for the whole society to jointly respond to this major public health problem, the International Obesity Alliance (WOF) first established World Obesity Day in 2015, aiming to attract the attention of the whole society to obesity. WOF 2020 officially announced that World Obesity Day will be changed from 11 October to 4 March. March 4, 2022 is the eighth World Obesity Day, and this year's theme is Everybody needs to act obesity prevention and control.