Another Globesity Roundup

Diet Coke on the wall

A week ago, Childhood Obesity News explored the parameters of globesity. Many posts have taken a closer look at specific places. Today, let’s recall some of them.

In general, the United Kingdom’s childhood obesity rate is similar to ours, although the government’s way of gathering statistics is a bit haphazard—according to some American scientists, that is, and no doubt some British scientists. Not long ago, people in the UK were polled about their top ten concerns surrounding the obesity epidemic.

Like us, they favor an activity-friendly environment, with fewer fast-food joints around schools and less junk-food advertising. They would like to see hospitals and schools adopt improved nutritional standards and offer better programs to educate healthcare professionals. They would prefer stronger societal support for new parents, and better weight management services. More extensive food labeling is an idea that attracts some. As a deterrent and as a way to increase available government funds for health care, the taxing of sugary soft drinks and junk foods has definitely been considered. If all the three million citizens of the UK who are technically eligible for bariatric surgery decide to have it, the nation’s healthcare budget will be strained.

Other Interesting Places

Canada was England’s child that didn’t run away from home, and that retained more of the old country’s ways. Geographic proximity and shared language suggest that what works in Canada might also be effective here, and many Americans wish that the United States would be more like our northern neighbor in other ways as well. If Canada’s recent attempt to institute a fat tax had succeeded, we would have been tracking the results anxiously. Unfortunately, the scorn of Canadian critics was fueled by Denmark’s unsuccessful fat tax experiment.

Globesity in Some English-Speaking Countries” went further into what the Canadian critics were so mad about, and took a peek at the situations in Ireland and Australia. Another post looked at the experiments with packaging and taxation in those two nations. Australia’s closet neighbor is New Zealand, and anyone who doesn’t already know about it might be shocked about what happened there.

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

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Profiles: Kids Struggling with Weight

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The Book

OVERWEIGHT: What Kids Say explores the obesity problem from the often-overlooked perspective of children struggling with being overweight.

About Dr. Robert A. Pretlow

Dr. Robert A. Pretlow is a pediatrician and childhood obesity specialist. He has been researching and spreading awareness on the childhood obesity epidemic in the US for more than a decade.
You can contact Dr. Pretlow at:

Presentations

Dr. Pretlow’s invited presentation at the American Society of Animal Science 2020 Conference
What’s Causing Obesity in Companion Animals and What Can We Do About It

Dr. Pretlow’s invited presentation at the World Obesity Federation 2019 Conference:
Food/Eating Addiction and the Displacement Mechanism

Dr. Pretlow’s Multi-Center Clinical Trial Kick-off Speech 2018:
Obesity: Tackling the Root Cause

Dr. Pretlow’s 2017 Workshop on
Treatment of Obesity Using the Addiction Model

Dr. Pretlow’s invited presentation for
TEC and UNC 2016

Dr. Pretlow’s invited presentation at the 2015 Obesity Summit in London, UK.

Dr. Pretlow’s invited keynote at the 2014 European Childhood Obesity Group Congress in Salzburg, Austria.

Dr. Pretlow’s presentation at the 2013 European Congress on Obesity in Liverpool, UK.

Dr. Pretlow’s presentation at the 2011 International Conference on Childhood Obesity in Lisbon, Portugal.

Dr. Pretlow’s presentation at the 2010 Uniting Against Childhood Obesity Conference in Houston, TX.

Food & Health Resources