obesity

Childhood obesity and low physical activity both have serious implications for children’s health. This report had twin objectives: to explore determinants of both obesity and low physical activity in young children. Included in the investigation of obesity is an assessment of whether it is linked to low physical activity.

The report also examined the extent to which mothers were aware of their child being overweight or obese and whether they were concerned by this.

This page contains the findings of systematic reviews undertaken by the EPPI-Centre Health Promotion and Public Health Reviews Facility This topic is included in the EPPI-Centre knowledge library. The Knowledge Pages facility enables users to search for the key messages within specific subject areas to which EPPI-Centre reviews have contributed.

The aim of this piece of work is to locate and describe existing review-level evidence on the effectiveness of social and environmental interventions for the prevention or reduction of obesity and overweight. This systematic review was published by EPPI-Centre in 2008. Systematic reviews aim to find as much as possible of the research relevant to the particular research questions, and use explicit methods to identify what can reliably be said on the basis of these studies.

This report and the associated searchable database summarise schemes to promote healthy weight among obese and overweight children in England for which the EPPI-Centre were able to obtain data. In order to be included in the database, schemes needed a primary focus on tackling overweight or obesity in school-age children (4-18 years) who were already overweight or obese, through dietary, exercise or other means. Included interventions had to be structured and sustained over a period of time.This systematic review was published by EPPI-Centre in 2008.

The systematic map aimed to review the scope of the quantitative research literature on the relationship between obesity and sedentary behaviour in young people aged 6-16. This systematic review was published by EPPI-Centre in 2009. Systematic reviews aim to find as much as possible of the research relevant to the particular research questions, and use explicit methods to identify what can reliably be said on the basis of these studies.

This systematic review examines recent research findings from the UK where children aged from four to eleven provide views about their own body sizes or about the body sizes of others. This systematic review was published by EPPI-Centre in 2010. Systematic reviews aim to find as much as possible of the research relevant to the particular research questions, and use explicit methods to identify what can reliably be said on the basis of these studies.

This systematic review was commissioned to address the question: What do we know about the relationship between childhood obesity and educational attainment, from the research literature? The systematic review was published by EPPI-Centre in 2011. Systematic reviews aim to find as much as possible of the research relevant to the particular research questions, and use explicit methods to identify what can reliably be said on the basis of these studies.

Document setting out the UK Government's strategy for helping individuals to maintain a healthy weight and outlining the roles various agencies such as schools and health services can play in helping to achieve this goal.

Document giving details of a UK Government plan for the development of additional research into and surveillance of obesity, overweight and their determinants in England.

Paper describing and discussing ten examples of interventions for obesity which involve both healthy eating and physical activity. The examples featured all strive to be low cost interventions and fall in to the broad categories of community schemes, active travel initiatives, health in the workplace and lifestyle incentives.