Health
authorities
will
need
to
focus
on
more
than
eating
habits
if
they
are
going
to
combat
the
obesity
epidemic.
A
study
led
by
the
University
of
Waterloo
found
it’s
generally
a
combination
of
unhealthy
behaviours
among
youth
that
could
be
the
greatest
predictors
of
whether
or
not
young
people
will
experience
obesity
issues
in
adulthood.
The
study
concluded
that
public
health
efforts
focusing
on
obesity
prevention
must
identify
and
correct
poor
behaviours
that
are
often
developed
in
early
childhood.
“Adolescents
with
obesity
often
maintain
their
weight
status
into
adulthood,
increasing
their
risk
of
developing
cardiovascular
disease,
diabetes,
and
high
blood
pressure,”
says
Rachel
Laxer,
who
formed
part
of
the
research
team
while
doing
her
PhD
at
Waterloo.
“Public
health
practitioners
should
be
targeting
clusters
of
risky
behaviours
using
a
comprehensive
and
multi-pronged
approach.”
“Research
tells
us
that
while
calorie
intake
has
not
dramatically
changed
over
time,
habits
such
as
exercising,
smoking,
drug
use
and
alcohol
consumption
have,”
said
Laxer.
“It’s
increasingly
important
to
target
these
risky
behaviours
together,
and
early,
before
they
become
habits.”
The
study
involved
Ontario
students
in
grades
nine
and
ten,
ranging
from
13
to
17
years
of
age
and
participating
in
the
COMPASS
Study,
a
nine-year
study
started
in
2012
that
is
funded
by
the
Canadian
Institute
for
Health
Research.
Students
reported
risky
behaviours
at
the
beginning
of
the
study,
and
their
heights
and
weights
were
tracked
for
two
additional
years.
Based
on
their
reported
behaviours,
the
teens
were
classified
as
Typical
High
School
Athletes,
Inactive
High
Screen-Users
(“Screenagers”),
Moderately
Active
Substance
Users,
or
Health
Conscious.
The
researchers
found
that
although
the
four
groups
saw
similar
increases
to
their
weight
status
over
the
years
that
they
were
followed,
students
in
the
Health
Conscious
group
had
the
healthiest
body
weight
at
the
beginning
of
the
study.
“It’s
important
to
try
to
improve
behaviours
before
they
become
habits,
which
are
much
harder
to
correct,”
said
Laxer.
“This
could
have
important
implications
for
public
health
initiatives.
Intervening
and
modifying
unhealthy
behaviours
earlier
might
have
a
greater
impact
than
during
adolescence.
Health
promotion
strategies
targeting
higher
risk
youth
as
they
enter
secondary
school
might
be
the
best
way
to
prevent
or
delay
the
onset
of
obesity,
and
might
have
better
public
health
outcomes
over
the
longer
term.”
The
study,
done
in
collaboration
with
Professor
Scott
Leatherdale
from
Waterloo,
was
recently
published
in
PLOS
ONE.
-30-
Media Contact:
Matthew
Grant
University
of
Waterloo
226-929-7627
www.uwaterloo.ca/news
@UWaterlooNews