Research 02.12.2024

Preventing childhood obesity to reduce cardiometabolic risk

According to a study by HMRI Barcelona and the Gasol Foundation, the proportion of abdominal obesity among overweight children and adolescents has risen from 40.7% to 56.1% over the past two decades.

Being at cardiometabolic risk means having a predisposition to developing cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Picture by Siora Photography from Unsplash.

The implementation of initiatives to promote healthy habits aimed at preventing childhood obesity is an urgent need highlighted in the latest article by the PASOS consortium, led by the Gasol Foundation and the Hospital del Mar Research Institute (HMRI Barcelona). The study analysed data from children aged 8 to 16 years across Spain. Among those who were overweight, nearly 60% had abdominal obesity, a key indicator of cardiometabolic risk.

Abdominal obesity refers to excess fat in the abdominal area and is measured by waist circumference. It is a significant indicator because it is associated with visceral fat, a condition that defines cardiometabolic risk. Being at risk means having a predisposition to developing cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, or dyslipidaemia—a condition where blood lipid levels, like cholesterol, are abnormal.

The study’s data reveals that abdominal obesity has increased from 40.7% to 56.1% over the past two decades. This translates to a 99% higher likelihood of overweight children being at cardiometabolic risk in 2020 compared to 2000. These figures highlight the need for stronger public health measures to prevent and comprehensively address childhood obesity.

Reference article

Schröder, H., Juton, C., Goran, M.I. et al. Twenty-year trend in the prevalence of increased cardiometabolic risk, measured by abdominal obesity, among Spanish children and adolescents across body mass index categories. BMC Med 22, 509 (2024). doi: 10.1186/s12916-024-03719-y