The number of overweight children has increased in Finland in recent decades – 27 per cent of boys and 17 per cent of girls are overweight, according to a recent THL report.
"More than a quarter of boys aged 2 to 16 and almost a fifth of girls of the same age are at least overweight. The prevalence has doubled or tripled in recent decades," THL Development Manager Päivi Mäki.
Among the many factors behind the problem, the biggest is clearly the dramatic change in the food environment, according to Mäki. The amount of daily exercise that children receive these days has also decreased.
A wide range of sugary and fatty foods are readily available, portion sizes increase and junk food is often cheaper to buy in large quantities.
"There are a lot of foods and drinks that are high in calories, but the nutritional value is low," Hill said.
Obesity is two to three times more common in boys than girls, according to the report. However, the exact reason is unknown.
Children are overweight in the countryside
According to the THL report, the proportion of overweight children is higher in rural areas than in cities.
While there is no clear answer as to why, researchers believe that socioeconomic factors such as parental education levels – which may be lower in rural areas – could play a role.
In Uusimaa, for example, children and young people are generally less overweight than in the Western Ostrobothnia Hospital District of Southwest Lapland.
THL’s municipality-specific statistics on overweight and obesity in children and young people can be found on the FinChildren registry website.
Obesity can lead to physical and mental health problems
Studies show that overweight and obesity can have a significant impact on a child’s physical and mental well-being.
Like their adult counterparts, obese children are at higher risk for conditions such as arterial disease, high blood pressure, blood fat abnormalities, and glucose metabolism, and they also generally suffer from poorer health and low self-esteem, Mäki said.
“Unfortunately, in our society, overweight or obese children and adults experience discrimination, prejudice or bullying."
Problems usually follow children into adulthood. About 80 percent of obese youth are also obese as adults.
However, if an obese child is of normal weight as an adult, the risk of arterial disease is not greater than that of a person who has always been of normal weight.
"This is a positive thing for the prevention of overweight and obesity in children and young people," Hill said.
Families, early childhood educators, child health clinics, municipalities and even social media influencers play an important role in encouraging children to shape healthy habits at an early age, Mäki says.
He cites restrictions on community planning, the promotion of daily exercise, and health-based taxation and the marketing of unhealthy foods as examples of positive social measures to combat the problem.
Source: The Nordic Page