[Current Guidelines to Prevent Obesity in Childhood and Adolescence]. / Aktuelle Empfehlungen zur Prävention der Adipositas im Kindes- und Jugendalter.

BACKGROUND: Current guidelines for the prevention of obesity in childhood and adolescence are presented. METHODS: A literature search was performed in Medline via PubMed, and appropriate studies were analysed. RESULTS: Programs to prevent childhood obesity were to date mainly school-based. Effects were limited to date. Analyses tailored to different age groups show that prevention programs have the best effects in younger children (< 12 years). Evidence based recommendations for preschool- and early school age imply the need for interventions addressing parents and teachers alike. During adolescence, school-based interventions were most effective when adolescents were directly addressed. To date, obesity prevention programs have mainly focused on behavior oriented prevention. Recommendations for condition oriented prevention have been suggested by the German Alliance of Non-communicable Diseases and include one hour of physical activity at school, promotion of healthy food choices by taxing unhealthy foods, mandatory quality standards for meals at kindergarten and schools as well as a ban on unhealthy food advertisement addressing children. CONCLUSION: Behavior oriented prevention programs showed hardly any or only limited effects in the long term. Certain risk groups for the development of obesity are not reached effectively by available programs. Due to the heterogeneity of available studies, universally valid conclusions cannot be drawn. The combination with condition oriented prevention, which has to counteract on an obesogenic environment, is crucial for sustainable success of future obesity prevention programs.

[Quality criteria for health promotion and primary prevention measures in association with obesity in children and adolescents. A BZgA-coordinated expert consensus]. / Qualitätskriterien für Maßnahmen der Gesundheitsförderung und Primärprävention von Übergewicht bei Kindern und Jugendlichen. Ein BZgA-geleiteter Expertenkonsens.

On behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health, a working group coordinated by the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA) compiled quality criteria for health promotion and primary prevention measures in association with obesity in children and adolescents that are applicable both to population-wide and to target group-specific measures. The criteria are intended to support the planning of new measures and the conceptual improvement of existing measures. Additional elements are the assessment of programs for financing purposes and the rendering of accounts to funding agencies, as well as the acquisition of further knowledge. The criteria, thus, address not only project developers and providers, but also multipliers who implement measures, as well as funding agencies, who can use the criteria as a basis for assessing the measures. The structure of the quality criteria is geared to the fundamental structure of the Public Health Action Cycle. In addition, resource orientation, participation and, above all, organizational development are important aspects associated with quality that have not been given adequate consideration to date. The quality criteria are applicable to all situation-based and behavioral prevention measures, and also development processes that focus on promoting the health and normal weight development of children and adolescents.