Childhood Obesity in France: Interventions Employed to Combat the Obesity Epidemic in French Elementary Schools

Abstract

The prevalence of childhood obesity and overweight has grown significantly in France in the past twenty years. Obesity is associated with many diseases such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, cancer, and depression. These diseases once confined to adults are increasingly being observed in children. Thus there are an increasing number of prevention programs being evaluated. Two such examples in France are Fleurbaix-Laventie Ville Santé (1992-present) and Ensemble, Prévenons L’Obésité Des Enfants (EPODE) (2004-present). Both programs emphasize prevention in elementary-school aged children by the creation of local programs involving schools, health professionals, community leaders and even businesses through the development and distribution of simplistic nutrition and physical activity messages. Fleurbaix-Laventie Ville Santé has been proven highly successful at decreasing the prevalence of childhood overweight from 17.5% to 8.8%. EPODE is a growing community-based preventative program currently in 167 French towns as well as pilot projects in both Belgium and Spain.