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  • Pediatric Letter to the Editor
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Stabilization in the prevalence of childhood obesity: a role for early nutrition?

International Journal of Obesity volume 34, pages 1524–1525 (2010)Cite this article

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We read with much interest the recent study by Stamatakis et al.,1 which shows that the prevalence of obesity and overweight among school-aged children in England has stabilized in recent years. A similar stabilization, or even decrease, was observed in various countries, including France, in the early 2000s.2 The authors of the British study1 suggest that the interruption in the rise may have been caused by health policy interventions and family health awareness of the problem.

Health policies target various types of populations, but there is currently growing evidence that factors acting in early life are particularly crucial to the development of chronic diseases, including obesity. A more favorable environment at the beginning of life in those schoolchildren whose weight status was assessed in the years 2005–2007 may also explain this improvement. Favorable changes may have included less smoking during pregnancy, decreased prevalence of low birth weight and increased rates of breast feeding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. INSERM, U557, Bobigny, France

    M-F Rolland-Cachera & S Péneau

  2. INRA, U1125, Bobigny, France

    M-F Rolland-Cachera & S Péneau

  3. CNAM, Bobigny, France

    M-F Rolland-Cachera & S Péneau

  4. Université Paris 13, Bobigny, France

    M-F Rolland-Cachera & S Péneau

  5. CRNH IdF, Unité de Recherche en Epidémiologie Nutritionnelle, Bobigny, France

    M-F Rolland-Cachera & S Péneau

  6. InVS, Bobigny, France

    M-F Rolland-Cachera

  7. CRNH IdF, Unité de Surveillance et d’Epidémiologie Nutritionnelle, Bobigny, France

    M-F Rolland-Cachera

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  1. M-F Rolland-Cachera
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  2. S Péneau
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Correspondence to M-F Rolland-Cachera.

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Rolland-Cachera, MF., Péneau, S. Stabilization in the prevalence of childhood obesity: a role for early nutrition?. Int J Obes 34, 1524–1525 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2010.64

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