Here’s how we can make children’s weight control programmes more feasible

Childhood overweight and obesity are a growing burden globally with adverse social-economic outcomes.

In addition to the psychological effects where children diagnosed with overweight experience a loss in self-confidence, their risk of obesity and associated diseases is higher than that of their normal-weight colleagues.

Since they are likely to transit with this weight into adulthood, they are more liable to suffer from conditions such as heart disease, compromised reproduction capability and type 2 diabetes, which are expensive to treat due to their chronic nature. 

About 10 years ago, Finland had 1 out of every 5 children classified as overweight. In this same period, countries in sub–Saharan Africa recorded an increase in child obesity by 24 percent.

In Uganda’s case, the 2022/23 Annual Nutrition Performance report by the Ministry of Health indicates that for every 100 children aged 5 years and below, 11 are overweight. The central region is shown to have the highest prevalence.

Overnutrition coupled with inadequate physical activity spans both the urban poor and middle-class populations in Kampala and neighbouring districts. Since early childhood nutrition programmes continue to focus more on undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, there is little awareness created about the implications of over feeding on high-calorie yet less-nutritional-based diets, a common delicacy among this population group.

Finland attained substantial success in minimising paediatric overweight through a health-in-all-policies approach, meaning there is hope for other countries struggling with the same.

In 2015, the World Health Organisation reported that the country effectively managed to reverse the bad statistics. This was through proactively engaging stakeholders in the lower education sector, to resonate paediatric weight control to all programmes and their outcomes.

Working with urban planners, school administrators, public health nurses and parents; schools maintained mandatory safe spaces for physical activity, health education was revised to include talks on nutrition and school meals became healthier.

With such a policy, Uganda can safeguard its children from the looming scourge. This will in turn yield a healthier and hence more productive generation, reducing the pressure on resources earmarked for healthcare.

While it is true that in most low resourced countries like Uganda many policies are ineffective because of inadequate funding and technical expertise, leveraging the already existing framework to implement these best practices would minimise such gaps. For example, in addition to first aid, school nurses or matrons can be trained to provide nonclinical therapy in other relevant areas like mental health and nutrition. This can equip the pupils to cope well with mental breakdowns associated with being overweight and make right food choices, a trait that would stick with them throughout their life course.

School administrators can also be encouraged to regulate the vending of sweetened and high refined-fat snacks in schools, revise meal menus to include nutritious foods and emphasise the observation of safe food preparation practices.

Parents are equally responsible for their children’s feeding. Research shows that mothers are the gatekeepers of nutrition in homes. They lead on decisions about what food to eat and in what portions. The teacher-parent conferences are an ideal platform to share knowledge about good feeding practices for children at home.

In addition to discussing academics and discipline, conversations can span what and how much to eat. Parents can be educated about the risks of sicknesses related to unhealthy diets.

Incorporating practices such as these into structures of early childhood development would limit progression of obesity into an overwhelming public health problem.

Ms Irene Jean Kagogwe is a Public health consultant at QStats Health Consulting, Uganda.