Apr 6, 2011 15:19 GMT  ·  By
Ages 7 to 11 identified as critical for kids predisposed to being overweight or obese
   Ages 7 to 11 identified as critical for kids predisposed to being overweight or obese

According to a new research published online today, children are most likely to reach their peak obesity around the ages of 7 to 11. Knowing this is of great importance for scientists, as they can now start work on developing methods to prevent this from happening.

One of the things that most researchers know about childhood obesity is that the condition is very hard to prevent, and increasingly common. This means that, statistically speaking, more kids are now suffering from it than they did ten years ago, or two decades ago.

The trend also seems to increase, with more and more children developing this disorder. This threatens to turn into a public health problem, scientists say, and so steps need to be taken to address the issue.

This is precisely what researchers at the University of Bristol, in the UK, did in the new study. They set out from the premises that determining when childhood obesity is most likely to occur and peak may help scientists develop key therapies aimed at preventing that from happening.

In collaboration with colleagues from the University of Stirling and the University of Strathclyde, both in e UK, the experts determined that children in the country are most likely to exhibit peak obesity between the of 7 and 11.

During this critical time, if a child has the predisposition to become obese or overweight, they are very likely to develop the bodily condition. Details of the investigation are published in the latest online issue of the esteemed journal Preventive Medicine.

The data used in the research was collected from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), which is also known as Children of the 90s. Information on more than 5,000 kids were made available to the science team, covering individuals aged 1 to 15.

Experts identified three critical ages during which children where very likely to become obese or overweight – 7 to 11 (19 percent of study participants), 3 to 7 (10 percent) and 11 to 15 (7 percent).

“This research gives us an important insight into the stages of childhood and adolescence when the environment is most obesity promoting,” University of Strathclyde professor John Reilly says.

“These recent findings from ALSPAC suggest that mid-late childhood may be the best bet for childhood obesity prevention,” adds University of Bristol professor Debbie Lawlor.

“This research is consistent with our other recent study which showed that most excess weight gain occurs by mid-late childhood,” concludes University of Stirling expert Dr Adrienne Hughes.