Safeguarding children and young people from obesity and type 2 diabetes
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly debate
on 13 April 2011 (15th Sitting) (see Doc. 12559, report of the Social,
Health and Family Affairs Committee, rapporteur: Mr Hancock). Text
adopted by the Assembly on 13 April 2011 (15th Sitting). See also Recommendation 1966 (2011).
- Thesaurus
1 The Parliamentary Assembly stresses
the fundamental importance of safeguarding the health and well-being
of children and young people and regrets the recent rise, in Europe
and elsewhere, in obesity and type 2 diabetes affecting them. Obesity
and type 2 diabetes, an acquired metabolic disorder, are preventable,
life-shortening conditions which can lead to other illnesses (including
cardiovascular diseases and cancer); they negatively affect sufferers’
quality of life and place a considerable burden on health-care systems.
The Assembly thus considers that member states need to respond urgently
to this public health crisis.
2 The Assembly therefore welcomes the Global Strategy on Diet,
Physical Activity and Health of the World Health Organization (WHO)
as a reference framework for member states’ initiatives to decrease
risk factors and to promote healthy lifestyles and environments.
It calls on member states to implement the European Charter on Counteracting
Obesity adopted at the WHO European Ministerial Conference on Counteracting Obesity,
held in Istanbul (Turkey) from 15 to 17 November 2006.
3 The Assembly invites member states to consider the prevention
of obesity from the perspective of the right of children and young
people to health and a healthy environment in the framework of the
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which calls
on states parties to recognise the right of children to the enjoyment
of the highest attainable standard of health and to facilities for
the treatment of illness and rehabilitation of health (Article 24).
4 The Assembly calls on member states to take urgent action
to protect children and young people from the onset and the consequences
of obesity and type 2 diabetes, in particular measures to promote
healthy nutritional habits, a healthy lifestyle and a healthy environment.
The measures designed should take due account of the principle of
respect of the child’s best interest.
5 With a view to promoting healthy nutritional habits, the Assembly
recommends that member states:
5.1 take
measures to improve food content, from the earliest age, through:
5.1.1 the promotion of breastfeeding, from birth to the age
of six months, with all due respect for the mother’s choice;
5.1.2 healthier food processing and the elimination of synthetic
trans-fats, preservation additives and other chemicals in foodstuffs;
5.1.3 the improvement of school meals and the minimisation of
the consumption of unhealthy food and drinks;
5.2 ensure access to and availability of healthier food, including
fruit and vegetables, to children and young people, as far as possible
making healthier food choices affordable;
5.3 regulate food marketing (including food labelling, nutritional
information and advertising) to reduce its pressure on children
and young people and to limit advertising, particularly television advertising,
aimed at children that promotes high-energy, low-nutrient food or
food products with high sugar, salt or fat content;
5.4 inform children and young people, as well as their parents
and carers, about the benefits of healthy eating habits, as well
as the dangers and the long-term consequences of nutritionally unbalanced
fast-food consumption and the risks of poor health due to induced
obesity;
5.5 reconsider their fiscal policies related to food and consider
introducing taxes on foods that are high in synthetic trans-fats,
salt and sugar, using generated revenues to lower the cost of healthy
foods, particularly for low-income population groups or investing
them in the health system to enable treatment of people who suffer
from obesity and type 2 diabetes;
5.6 invite, then encourage and perhaps oblige agri-food manufacturers
and distributors to review both the composition of some of their
products (quality and health standards) and their activities which encourage
and promote the consumption of products considered to be less healthy,
or unhealthy.
6 With a view to promoting healthy lifestyles, the Assembly
recommends that member states take measures to improve the well-being
of children and young people in all areas of life, approaching public
health-related issues in a holistic way. In so doing, member states
are invited to:
6.1 raise awareness
among children and young people on their development needs, enabling
them to identify food as nutrition, not as a substitute for the
satisfaction of other needs or discomforts; educate them about ways
and means of managing stress and dealing with negative emotions,
such as sadness and anger, as these are well-known triggers for
excess food consumption;
6.2 promote a more active lifestyle, educating children and
young people accordingly;
6.3 provide children and young people with opportunities for
individual accomplishments in both formal educational settings and
through their social life, thus developing their personal autonomy
and their feeling of self-worth;
6.4 support schools in their efforts to encourage healthy
eating habits and physical exercise, and ensure that schools are
properly funded to be able to carry out this task successfully;
ensure the widest possible dissemination and implementation of Committee
of Ministers Resolution ResAP(2005)3 on healthy eating in schools,
paying particular attention to the quality of school meals, while
making healthier school meals affordable for all children and young
people;
6.5 implement Committee of Ministers Recommendation Rec(2003)6
on improving physical education and sport for children and young
people in all European countries, inter
alia by improving access to sports facilities for children
and the young (in socially disadvantaged areas in particular) and by
running campaigns promoting a more active lifestyle;
6.6 ensure the full participation in society of children and
young people, including those who are suffering from obesity/overweight
and type 2 diabetes, and take a firm stand against discriminatory measures
affecting persons suffering from obesity.
7 With a view to promoting a healthy environment, the Assembly
recommends that member states:
7.1 develop
specific policies and initiatives to support a health-promoting
natural and built environment;
7.2 take specific measures to improve urban mobility, for
instance by promoting cycling and walking through better urban design
and transport policies. Action in favour of more flexible working
hours should also help parents to take more advantage of their travelling
time, breaks and rest periods to relax and engage in activities
with their children in safety and comfort.
8 The Assembly calls on member states to provide children and
young people with appropriate treatment in response to obesity and
type 2 diabetes and to make sure that persons at risk of obesity
and/or of various complications linked to this condition have genuine
access to medical advice and suitable care and treatment. Member
states should improve, in particular, the early intervention and
management of obesity and type 2 diabetes affecting children and
young people.
9 The Assembly recommends taking urgent action in order to strengthen
member states’ capacity to undertake research and find solutions
to these problems, including by substantially improving data collection and
analysis (for example with regard to children with type 2 diabetes).
The Assembly also calls on the specialised international organisations
to provide adequate support to research initiatives aimed at reversing the
development of obesity and type 2 diabetes epidemics in children
and young people.
10 The Assembly considers participation of children and young
people in the design of public health programmes intended for them
as an important condition for their successful implementation, and
thus recommends ensuring their full participation in all action
undertaken in Council of Europe member states.
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