Paediatrics and international child health
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Overweight and obesity in childhood is an increasing problem for the less affluent countries of the world. The prevalence of overweight/obesity varies, not only between countries but across countries, depending on the environments in which children live. ⋯ Affluence also brings the ability to purchase commercial, prepared 'fast-food' items, leading too often to disadvantageous effects on children's diets. The solutions to this rising tide of overweight/obesity seem to lie with broad-based programmes initiated at central government level or at more local community level but which are designed to reach across and throughout societies to enable families and communities to modify the unhealthy lifestyle which too often accompanies increasing affluence and development.