Childhood obesity

Analysis and Comment (9)

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Coca-Cola’s business strategy is to build brand loyality and trust. Flickr/orangeacid

Coca-Cola part of the solution to obesity? Yeah right!

By Darren Powell

Coca-Cola made headlines this week with a new television advertising campaign. It begins with a voice-over: “We’d like people to come together on something that concerns all of us – obesity”. The ad then…
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Changes in the level of children’s physical activity is not solely responsible for the obesity epidemic. Brent Danley

Adding kids' weight to report cards will do more harm than good for preventing obesity

By Elizabeth Waters, University of Melbourne; Andrea de Silva-Sanigorski, University of Melbourne; Lisa Gibbs, University of Melbourne, and Tahna Pettman, University of Melbourne

As public health researchers who’ve worked with government, non-governmental organisations, schools, childcare organisations, families and children to understand the complexity of obesity and effective…
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The combination of more access and busier lifestyles has likely contributed to increasing consumption of fast food. Ben Weston

Fast food v councils: the battle for hearts, minds and bellies

By Lukar Thornton, Deakin University

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) has just finished hearing submissions in a case against McDonald’s opening an outlet in the town of Tecoma. The case is part of a growing trend of…
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Rather than criticising parents of fat children, it’s more productive to confront the wider issues of neglect and social inequality. Flickr/Jake Folsom

Childhood obesity: are parents really to blame?

By Darren Powell

Should a child’s obese body be used as evidence to support their removal from their parents' care? According to a recent report in The Age newspaper, the Children’s Court of Victoria thinks so. Victoria…
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The sooner we understand the risk factors that make children vulnerable to obesity, the more traction we can gain to reduce this number. D. Sharon Pruitt

Girls in single-parent families at greater risk of obesity

By Linda Byrne, Deakin University

In Australia, girls in single-parent families are at a higher risk of being overweight or obese than children in dual-parent families. This fits with recent research findings from the United States showing…
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The multi-country study concluded that in Australia, television advertising’s contribution to childhood obesity is between 10% and 28%. Maggie Osterberg

Government, parents or advertisers: who should decide what kids watch and eat?

By Emma Richardson, Queensland University of Technology

A recent complaint to the Advertising Standards Board by the Obesity Policy Coalition about a Smarties online colouring-in competition aimed at three- to ten-year-olds, and a bill introduced by Greens…

Research and News (4)

Research Briefs (7)

Using vitamin D in pre-diabetic teens

University of Missouri

Researchers have trialled vitamin D supplements as a means of managing blood sugar in obese teenagers. The study compared…

Participants (43)