Identifying Overweight A short presentation to assist in identifying when to seek help.

What will these kids look like when they grow up? The Foresight report, predicts that by 2050, if no action is taken, 60% of adults and 25% of children will be obese.

Assessing weight status in children BMI is calculated in the same way for children and adults, but the data in interpreted differently as... adults have one constant- height and one variable – weight children have two variables; height and weight BMI age and sex specific percentiles are used for children and teens: the amount of body fat changes with age and differs between girls and boys.

9 Years old Is Chris: Normal weight Overweight Obese Severely Obese

7 years Old Is Sarah: Normal weight Overweight Obese Severely Obese

P0. 10 years Old Is Steven: Normal weight Overweight Obese Severely Obese

9 year old Chris Chris BMI 23.8

. BMI 28.6 Sarah 7 year old Sarah

BMI 34.4 Steven. 10 year old Steven

Obesity tracking - Childhood to Adulthood  Most obese children remain obese as adults  2-3 times more likely to be an obese adult if obese in early years  5-15 times greater risk of adult obesity if obese at primary school  Over 15 times greater risk of adult obesity if an obese adolescents

 The strength of association grows with age. The longer a child is overweight, the more established and extreme this weight becomes.

Childhood Obesity Risk Factors More than 8 hours of television a week Sleeping fewer than 10.5 hours each night Above average birth weight Both parents are obese Size in early life & big weight gain 1st year Excess body fat in pre-school years (3 – 4)

STEP 1: When to get help  Child is being bullied or teased at school  Child is dropping out of games or PE or is always out of breath or struggles to keep up  Child is consuming a very poor quality diet or inordinate amounts of food  NCMP data identifies child as very overweight  Child seems very unhappy or withdrawn or upset  The child or family members have raised concerns  The child has other illnesses such as asthma, diabetes etc.

STEP 2: Getting help  Contact your local Alive’N’Kicking child weight management service  Find your local service on  Or, phone