Dietitians of Canada

Childhood Obesity

Background

A healthy weight is a vital part of healthy growth and development. In Canada, rates of obesity among children and youth ages 2 to 17 on the rise. In 1979, 3% of children and youth were obese. By 2004, 8% were obese. An additional 18% of Canadian children and youth are overweight.

No single factor can reverse this trend. To help prevent and treat obesity, dietitians support multi-faceted approaches that focus on individual lifestyle, behaviour and health factors; social, economic and cultural factors; biological factors and environmental factors that lead to:

• Attainment of nutrient and energy requirements to support healthy growth and development and healthy weights
• Enjoyment of healthy eating and the perception that it is a normal activity
• Development of a healthy relationship with food, a positive body image, and high self esteem
• Application of nutrition knowledge and skills to support healthy food behaviours, including food preparation
• Enjoyment of participation in daily, age-appropriate physical activity for at least 90 minutes per day and limited sedentary behaviours
• Development of supportive environments that make healthy choices the easier choice.

Position

Our position on some of the factors that may impact childhood obesity can be found below:

• School Nutrition
• Advertising of Foods and Beverages to Children
• Menu labelling in restaurants
• Tracking Children’s Growth

See all Dietitians’ Views