Life-course Perspectives for Health Promotion and Obesity Prevention* Pan American Conference on Obesity III June 2013 Speakers/Facilitators Marcia Ory-Texas A&M Tom Best-The Ohio State University Roberto Lobelo-CDC John Duperly-Universidad de los Andes Adrian Hutber *With appreciation to Ministry of Health and PACO Organizers
Life-course Perspectives for Health Promotion and Obesity Prevention Workshop Goals and Structure Introduce the life-course perspective –why we are connecting children and older adults in obesity prevention Describe the prevalence, risk factors and consequences of childhood obesity and identify intervention strategies for childhood obesity prevention Identify aging facts and stereotypes, key determinants of healthy aging, strategies for promoting healthy aging; and the role of physical activity in healthy living
Life-course Perspectives for Health Promotion and Obesity Prevention Goals and structure, cont Solicit international perspectives from the audience on what works/doesn’t work in obesity prevention across the life-course Discuss cross cutting issues in risk factors and solutions and roles of different key stakeholders in formulating solutions; Mobilize action by having each participant identify two concrete actions for preventing childhood obesity and promoting healthy aging.
Welcome and Introductions What are your affiliations? Professional backgrounds? What responsibility for obesity prevention? Do you work with children, older adults, or all populations What do you hope to get out of today’s workshop?
Life-Course Perspectives Aging is from birth to death The past shapes the present and future too –Social conditions experienced in early life influence life choices and opportunities –Health behaviors adopted in childhood influence later life –Health in childhood influences health in later life It’s never to soon to adopt healthy behaviors and never to late
Each life transition presents a unique opportunity for interventions to inform policy and practice that can improve health and quality of life Interventions can be focused on particular stages or on the entire life-course Chronic diseases likely result from the complex interplay of critical and sensitive period, and trajectory and accumulation processes Life-Course Themes
Provides a way to conceptualize how underlying socio- environmental determinants of health, experienced at different life course stages, can differentially influence the development of chronic diseases Life course epidemiology examines a range of potential processes through which exposures acting at different stages of life can, singly or in combination, influence disease risk The importance of timing is illustrated by knowledge that the particular stage of life when an exposure occurs can be important in understanding its later effects Life-Course Perspective – Epidemiological Approach
Case Scenarios—How typical is Each ? What are the Causes and Solutions A child is normal weight in primary school and remains normal weight throughout life A child is obese in primary school and remains obese A child is normal weight in primary school but becomes obese as an older adult A child is obese in primary school but becomes normal weight in mid and later life