Editorial

Citation

Wells, D. (2001), "Editorial", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 31 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2001.01731baa.001

Editorial

The Coronary Prevention Group recently organised a conference to discuss diet and physical activity in children and their role in preventing adult obesity and heart disease. Coronary heart disease remains the single largest killer in the UK responsible for over 140,000 deaths in 1997 with 22,000 of these in men and women under the age of 65. CHD is largely preventable through good diet, physical activity and not smoking. Annual death rates from CHD are declining partly due to improved treatments but mostly due to a change in the prevalence of risk factors. However rates in social groups IV and V have remained static or have fallen slowly whereas rates in social groups I and II have fallen dramatically. This was reported by Dr Alison Giles of the National Heart Forum. She went on to say that a healthy lifestyle in childhood, where physical activity and a good diet are habitual, increases the likelihood that the adult lifestyle will also be heart healthy. Unfortunately many children today are increasingly doing too little physical activity to confer any health benefit and whilst consuming fewer calories than children 40 years ago are increasingly replacing healthy, nutritious food with convenience foods and fizzy drinks. The end result will be if such habits are continued an increased risk of CHD.

Professor Peter Whincup of St George's Hospital Medical School pointed out that high levels of cholesterol, increasing adiposity, low levels of physical activity and a high prevalence of cigarette smoking are of particular concern with increased risk of CHD in later life among British schoolchildren. The emergence of social, ethnic and regional differences in the cardiovascular risk profile appears to begin in childhood. Dr Chris Power, Institute of Child Health, provided evidence on the influence of parental fatness, social factors, intra-uterine growth, timing of maturation, physical activity, dietary factors and other behavioural and psychological factors on later obesity. Childhood may be an important, even critical, life stage in the development of obesity.

Dr Lisa Jackson of the Food Standards Agency spoke of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) which showed that young people were taller and heavier than those studies in the 1982/1983 survey of schoolchildren. This study included a review of physical activity. Almost all four to six year olds were reported to be fairly or very active but in the seven to 18 years age group young people were inactive judging by the time spent in moderate or vigorous intensity activities. Girls were less active than boys and activity levels fell with increasing age.

Yvette Cooper MP, Minister for Public Health, said that the prevention of CHD was very important and was a priority for the National Health Service. She said that prevention was better than a cure and that we need to start when individuals are young so that early habits are heart healthy ones. The government is keen to promote the recommendation to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, but telling people to do so is often seen as patronising and a "turn off". It would be better to provide better opportunities for this recommendation to be carried out. There was also a need to provide children with better opportunities for activity. Elaine Burgess of Sport England and Gill Davison and Lea Anne Wright spoke of ways to improve physical activity during childhood. The Fit and Healthy initiative in the East Riding of Yorkshire Council is aimed at lunchtime supervisors and teachers working during school lunchtimes to encourage children to become more active by offering them easy to organise games and activities. Training courses are organised where both theory and practical elements on how to offer children activities are delivered. Schools then have the opportunity to apply for free equipment.

Readers will be aware that some children today are not eating for heart health in adult life and will be promoting better nutrition at all stages. We can set them a good example by eating well ourselves and modifying our own lifestyles to ensure that CHD does not affect us in later life.

Dilys Wells