Challenges and Findings in Measuring the Behavioural Determinants of Obesity in Children in Europe

Obesity in childhood is increasingly being recognised as an epidemic, and urgent action is being called for to address it. A major cause is seen as changed eating and physical activity patterns of children of different ages. However, to design and target appropriate interventions sound evidence is needed. This book results from a European study to identify the amount of robust data available to describe children’s nutritional and physical activity behaviour in each European country. It comprises two parts. Part 1 looks at the relevant necessary information for monitoring children’s behaviour, based on measures identified in scientific reports, and proposes sets of population-based and policy-based indicators for nutrition and for activity. Part 2 reports the relevant data currently available in each European country.