Nutritional Medicine for Children and Adolescents Clinic

The Government Report

The National Diet and Nutrition survey Young people aged 4-18yrs which was published in 2000, has identified the public health implications of the diet and lifestyle of school children of all ages. 

With the exception of very young children (4-6yrs old), between 40% and 69% of children in Britain are largely inactive, spending less than one hour a day participating in activities of moderate intensity. 

These findings are also consistent with a number of other recent reports concerning the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in children.  This situation is mirrored in a adults and is likely to stem from the same fundamental causes. 

There is evidence of low micronutrient intakes or status in some sub-groups, for example poor vitamin D status, particularly in a proportion of older children.  There is also evidence of low status of some vitamins in children and low intakes of some minerals, particularly in the older children: zinc, calcium and magnesium in boys and girls; and iron, iodine and copper in the girls.  With the girls in particular, there was some evidence of poor iron status.

Clearly these issues are worthy of attention because poor eating and poor physical activity habits in childhood may increase the risk of health problems in later life.

Diet during childhood is a factor, to varying degrees, in the development of a number of diseases, either in childhood itself or during adult life, such as obesity, iron deficiency anaemia, dental caries, coronary heart disease, hypertension, osteoporosis and cancer. 

There is some evidence to suggest that health traits present in childhood tend to track into adult life, including body weight, blood levels of cholesterol, other blood lipids and insulin, and blood pressure.