Children, obesity and associated avoidable chronic diseases

Description      -      Financing      -      Outcomes      -      More info
Description
Action Promoting health and prevent disease through addressing health determinants across all policies and activities Area of activity Priority Area: Health Determinants; Nutrition and physical activity. Cross Cutting themes: Health impact assessment; Health in applicant countries; tackling inequalities in health; promoting best practice and effectiveness. Summary The aim of the project is to tackle the obesity epidemic among children and young people and associated avoidable chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. The objectives of the project are: - To measure and analyse the impact of food marketing to children and young people; - To determine and consider policy options aimed at addressing obesity in children; - To complement activities and approaches at national level and stimulate concerted action More info...
Description      -      Financing      -      Outcomes      -      More info
Financing
Leader organisation EHN (European Heart Network) Rue Montoyer 31 1000 Brussels BELGIUM	Contact Person Susanne LOGSTRUP Tel: +32.2.512.91.74. Fax: +32.2.503.35.25. E-mail: Slogstrup@skynet.be
Associated beneficiaries • University of Oxford established in United-Kingdom • International Association of Consumer Food Organisations established in United-Kingdom • International Diabetes Federation – IDF Europe established in Belgium • Associazione per la lotta alla Trombosi established in Italy • Austrian Heart Foundation established in Austria • Belgian Heart Ligue established in Belgium • Czech Heart Association – Vitastyl established in Czech Republic • Danish Heart Foundation established in Denmark • Estonian Heart Association established in Estonia • Finnish Heart Association established in Finland • French Federation of Cardiology established in France • German Heart Foundation established in Germany • Hellenic Heart Foundation established in Greece • Hungarian National Heart Foundation established in Hungary • Icelandic Heart Association established in Iceland • Irish Heart Foundation established in Ireland • National Heart Forum established in United Kingdom • Netherlands Heart Foundation established The Netherlands • Norwegian Council on CVD established in Norway • Portuguese Heart Foundation established in Portugal • Slovenian Heart foundation established in Slovenia • Spanish Heart Foundation established in Spain • Swedish Heart Lung Foundation established in Sweden
Starting date and duration of project - 01/03/2004 - 32 months	Total cost 2.856.641,88 € Subsidy from the Commission 1.713.985,13 €
Description      -      Financing      -      Outcomes      -      More info
Outcomes
Expected outputs are: • Report on the data collected and analysed with an executive summary that will be translated into 16 languages: dissemination to members of the European scientific community, policy makers, health professionals, schools, food industry, advertising industry and others as appropriate; • Press releases announcing the findings of the report: dissemination to the general public in 20 countries; • European consensus statement: dissemination to national alliances and European decision-makers; • National consensus statement: dissemination to national decision makers; • Guidelines on tackling childhood obesity: dissemination to national alliances and more widely at European level. Final report, January 2007 (480KB)
Description      -      Financing      -      Outcomes      -      More info
More info
Statement of project aim(s) and objectives Aim The overall aim of the project is to tackle the obesity epidemic among children and young people and associated avoidable chronic diseases (such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes). The trend of increased obesity, especially in children, is noticeable everywhere in Europe. Evidence shows that obesity is caused mostly by environmental factors and therefore preventable by appropriate interventions (cf. The report “Obesity in Europe” by the International Obesity Task Force and the European Association for the Study of obesity, which refers to the environment as ‘obesogenic'). Furthermore, one of the Irish Presidency Health Priorities is prevention of cardiovascular diseases and Ireland has expressed a wish to give wider visibility to this issue. For this reason, EHN will launch this project in Dublin during the first part of the Irish presidency. The objectives of the project are threefold: • To measure and analyse the impact of food marketing to children and young people: The project will build on earlier surveys and interlink with current research activities. The project will have a special focus on the marketing of foods high in fat, sugar and salt. It will explore regulatory frameworks, the extent and nature of food marketing to children in various media and settings and overall trends in marketing strategies; • To determine and consider policy options aimed at addressing obesity in children: The project will review policy options, such as legislation versus self regulation, compensatory actions, including media literacy, marketing of alternative ‘healthier' products and physical activity, including implementation of action plans on enhancing physical activity among children and young people (to be finalised under European Heart Health Initiative III); • To complement activities and approaches at national level and stimulate concerted action: The project will draw up a proposal for a programme on pan-European action addressing childhood obesity.
Methods The objectives will be achieved through: • Partnership with organisations from various sectors (cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, consumers, academia); • Collection and verification of data at central and national level; • Linking networks and work in alliances (with members from central and local governments, disease specific organisations, nutrition and sports councils, schools, parents organisations, etc); • Communication through various vehicles (publications, electronic information dissemination, European health associations' communication vehicles, press,…); • National and European meetings.