Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Review Article
  • Published:

Addressing childhood obesity through increased physical activity

Nature Reviews Endocrinology volume 6, pages 543–549 (2010)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Obesity is affecting an increasing proportion of children globally. Despite an appreciation that physical activity is essential for the normal growth and development of children and prevents obesity and obesity-related health problems, too few children are physically active. A concurrent problem is that today's young people spend more time than previous generations did in sedentary pursuits, including watching television and engaging in screen-based games. Active behavior has been displaced by these inactive recreational choices, which has contributed to reductions in activity-related energy expenditure. Implementation of multifactorial solutions considered to offer the best chance of combating these trends is urgently required to redress the energy imbalance that characterizes obesity. The counterproductive 'shame and blame' mentality that apportions responsibility for the childhood obesity problem to sufferers, their parents, teachers or health-care providers needs to be changed. Instead, these groups should offer constant support and encouragement to promote appropriate physical activity in children. Failure to provide activity opportunities will increase the likelihood that the children of today will live less healthy (and possibly shorter) lives than their parents.

Key Points

  • Physical activity is essential for normal growth and development

  • All physical activity is important for children, irrespective of its intensity

  • Today's young people spend increasing amounts of time participating in sedentary behaviors

  • A variety of opportunities for physical activity should be sought

  • To change the sedentary outlook and minimal activity levels of young people will require the engagement (and a change in habits) of their parents and medical practitioners

  • Parents, teachers and health-care providers must offer constant support and encouragement to promote appropriate play activities

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Zimmet, P. Z. & James, W. P. The unstoppable Australian obesity and diabetes juggernaut. What should politicians do? Med. J. Aust. 185, 187–188 (2006).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. International Obesity Taskforce. International Association for the Study of Obesity [online], (2009).

  3. Booth, M. L., Dobbins, T., Okely, A. D., Denney-Wilson, E. & Hardy, L. L. Trends in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among young Australians, 1985, 1997, and 2004. Obesity 15, 1089–1095 (2007).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. International Obesity Taskforce. International Association for the Study of Obesity [online], (2010).

  5. Magliano, D. J. et al. Lifetime risk and projected population prevalence of diabetes. Diabetologia 51, 2179–2186 (2008).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Horton, R. Maternal and child undernutrition: an urgent opportunity. Lancet 371, 179 (2008).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Lobstein, T., Baur, L. & Uauy, R. Obesity in children and young people: a crisis in public health. Obes. Rev. 5 (Suppl. 1), 4–104 (2004).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Wang, Y. & Lobstein, T. Worldwide trends in childhood overweight and obesity. Int. J. Pediatr. Obes. 1, 11–25 (2006).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Kelishadi, R. Childhood overweight, obesity, and the metabolic syndrome in developing countries. Epidemiol. Rev. 29, 62–76 (2007).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Li, Y. et al. Obesity prevalence and time trend among youngsters in China, 1982–2002. Asia Pac. J. Clin. Nutr. 17, 131–137 (2008).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Schoeller, D. A. The energy balance equation: looking back and looking forward are two very different views. Nutr. Rev. 67, 249–254 (2009).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Lobstein, T. & Frelut, M. L. Prevalence of overweight among children in Europe. Obes. Rev. 4, 195–200 (2003).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Reilly, J. J. et al. Health consequences of obesity. Arch. Dis. Child. 88, 748–752 (2003).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  14. Wang, Y., Monteiro, C. & Popkin, B. M. Trends of obesity and underweight in older children and adolescents in the United States, Brazil, China, and Russia. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 75, 971–977 (2002).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Monteiro, P. O. & Victora, C. G. Rapid growth in infancy and childhood and obesity in later life—a systematic review. Obes. Rev. 6, 143–154 (2005).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Baird, J. et al. Being big or growing fast: systematic review of size and growth in infancy and later obesity. BMJ 331, 929 (2005).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  17. Stettler, N. et al. Weight gain in the first week of life and overweight in adulthood: a cohort study of European American subjects fed infant formula. Circulation 111, 1897–1903 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Ong, K. K. & Loos, R. J. Rapid infancy weight gain and subsequent obesity: systematic reviews and hopeful suggestions. Acta Pediatr. 95, 904–908 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Oken, E. & Gillman, M. W. Fetal origins of obesity. Obes. Res. 11, 496–506 (2003).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Balagopal, P. Obesity-related cardiovascular risk in children and the role of lifestyle changes. J. Cardiometab. Syndr. 1, 269–274 (2006).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Olstad, D. L. & McCargar, L. Prevention of overweight and obesity in children under the age of 6 years. Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab. 34, 551–570 (2009).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Haslam, D. W. & James, W. P. Obesity. Lancet 366, 1197–1209 (2005).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Skinner, A. C., Steiner, M. J., Henderson, F. W. & Perrin, E. M. Multiple markers of inflammation and weight status: cross-sectional analyses throughout childhood. Pediatrics 125, e801–e809 (2010).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  24. Steene-Johannessen, J., Kolle, E., Reseland, J. E., Anderssen, S. A. & Anderssen, L. B. Waist circumference is related to low-grade inflammation in youth. Int. J. Pediatr. Obes. 5, 313–319 (2010).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Huang, R. C. et al. Synergy between adiposity, insulin resistance, metabolic risk factors, and inflammation in adolescents. Diabetes Care 32, 695–701 (2009).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Marniemi, J. et al. Visceral fat and psychosocial stress in identical twins discordant for obesity. J. Intern. Med. 251, 35–43 (2002).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Fontaine, K. R. & Barofsky, I. Obesity and health-related quality of life. Obes. Rev. 2, 173–182 (2001).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Tsiros, M. D. et al. Health-related quality of life in obese children and adolescents. Int. J. Obes. 33, 387–400 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Williams, J., Wake, M., Hesketh, K., Maher, E. & Waters, E. Health-related quality of life of overweight and obese children. JAMA 293, 70–76 (2005).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Janssen, I., Katzmarzyk, P. T., Boyce, W. F., King, M. A. & Pickett, W. Overweight and obesity in Canadian adolescents and their associations with dietary habits and physical activity patterns. J. Adolesc. Health 35, 360–367 (2004).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Vandewater, E. A., Shim, M. S. & Caplovitz, A. G. Linking obesity and activity level with children's television and video game use. J. Adolesc. 27, 71–85 (2004).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Caroli, M., Argentieri, L., Cardone, M. & Masi, A. Role of television in childhood obesity prevention. Int. J. Obes. Relat. Metab. Disord. 28 (Suppl. 3), S104–S108 (2004).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Hesketh, K., Wake, M., Graham, M. & Waters, E. Stability of television viewing and electronic game/computer use in a prospective cohort study of Australian children: relationship with body mass index. Int. J. Behav. Nutr. Phys. Act. 4, 60 (2007).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  34. Cooper, C. et al. Childhood growth, physical activity, and peak bone mass in women. J. Bone Miner. Res. 10, 940–947 (1995).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Hills, A. P., King, N. A. & Armstrong, T. P. The contribution of physical activity and sedentary behaviours to the growth and development of children and adolescents: implications for overweight and obesity. Sports Med. 37, 533–545 (2007).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Ludwig, D. S. & Pollack, H. A. Obesity and the economy: from crisis to opportunity. JAMA 301, 533–535 (2009).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Wrotniak, B. H., Epstein, L. H., Dorn, J. M., Jones, K. E. & Kondilis, V. A. The relationship between motor proficiency and physical activity in children. Pediatrics 118, e1758–e1765 (2006).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Shultz, S. P., Deforche, B., Byrne, N. M. & Hills, A. P. In Global Perspectives on Childhood Obesity 1st edn Ch. 34 (ed. Bagchi, D) 371–382 (Elsevier, London, 2010).

    Google Scholar 

  39. Iannotti, R. J., Kogan, M. D., Janssen, I. & Boyce, W. F. Patterns of adolescent physical activity, screen-based media use, and positive and negative health indicators in the US & Canada. J. Adolesc. Health 44, 493–499 (2009).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  40. Pietrobelli, A., Malavolti, M., Battistini, N. C. & Fuiano, N. Metabolic syndrome: a child is not a small adult. Int. J. Pediatr. Obes. 3 (Suppl. 1), 67–71 (2008).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Heber, D. An integrative view of obesity. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 91, 280S–283S (2010).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Bouchard, C. Defining the genetic architecture of the predisposition to obesity: a challenging but not insurmountable task. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 91, 5–6 (2010).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Bouchard, C. The biological predisposition to obesity: beyond the thrifty gene scenario. Int. J. Obes. 31, 1337–1339 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Schoeller, D. A. The energy balance equation: looking back and looking forward are two very different views. Nutr. Rev. 67, 249–254 (2009).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Woodruff, S. J., Hanning, R. M. & Barr, S. I. Energy recommendations for normal weight, overweight and obese children and adolescents: are different equations necessary? Obes. Rev. 10, 103–108 (2009).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Sallis, J. F. & Glantz, K. Physical activity and food environments: Solutions to the obesity epidemic. Milbank Q. 87, 123–154 (2009).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  47. Hill, J. O. & Peters, J. C. Environmental contributions to the obesity epidemic. Science 280, 1371–1374 (1998).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations The double burden of malnutrition. Case studies from six developing countries. FAO food and nutrition paper 84 [online], (2006).

  49. Caballero, B. & Popkin, B. M. (Eds) The Nutrition Transition: Diet and Disease in the Developing World (Academic Press, London, 2002).

    Google Scholar 

  50. Popkin, B. The nutrition transition in the developing world. Dev. Policy Rev. 21, 581–597 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  51. Caballero, B. A nutrition paradox—underweight and obesity in developing countries. N. Engl. J. Med. 352, 1514–1516 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  52. Jebb, S. A. & Moore, M. S. Contribution of a sedentary lifestyle and inactivity to the etiology of overweight and obesity: current evidence and research issues. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 31 (Suppl. 1), S534–S541 (1999).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  53. Popkin, B. M. In Handbook of Obesity Prevention: A Resource for Health Professionals (eds Kumanyika, S. & Brownson, R. C) 227–238 (Springer, New York, 2007).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  54. Huang, J. S., Sallis, J. & Patrick, K. The role of primary care in promoting children's physical activity. Br. J. Sports Med. 43, 19–21 (2009).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  55. Bower, J. K. et al. The childcare environment and children's physical activity. Am. J. Prev. Med. 34, 23–29 (2008).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  56. Dollman, J., Norton, K. & Norton, L. Evidence for secular trends in children's physical activity behaviour. Br. J. Sports Med. 39, 892–897 (2005).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  57. Hills, A. P. Physical activity and movement in children: consequences for growth and development. Asia Pac. J. Clin. Nutr. 4, 43–45 (1995).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  58. Strong, W. B. et al. Evidence based physical activity for school-age youth. J. Pediatr. 146, 732–737 (2005).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  59. Malina, R. M. & Little, B. B. Physical activity: the present in the context of the past. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 20, 373–391 (2008).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  60. Hamilton, M. T., Hamilton, D. G. & Zderic, T. W. Role of low energy expenditure and sitting in obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Diabetes 56, 2655–2667 (2007).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  61. Quattrin, T., Liu, E., Shaw, N., Shine, B. & Chiang, E. Obese children who are referred to the pediatric endocrinologist: characteristics and outcome. Pediatrics 115, 348–351 (2005).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  62. Magarey, A. M., Daniels, L. A., Boulton, T. J. & Cockington, R. A. Predicting obesity in early adulthood from childhood and parental obesity. Int. J. Obes. Relat. Metab. Disord. 27, 505–513 (2003).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  63. Lanigan, J. & Singhal, A. Early nutrition and long-term health: a practical approach. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 68, 422–429 (2009).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  64. Freedman, D. S. et al. The relation of childhood BMI to adult adiposity: the Bogalusa Heart Study. Pediatrics 115, 22–27 (2005).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  65. Baker, J. L., Olsen, L. W. & Sørensen, T. I. Childhood body mass index and the risk of coronary heart disease in adulthood. N. Engl. J. Med. 357, 2329–2337 (2007).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  66. Gupta, R. et al. Younger age of escalation of cardiovascular risk factors in Asian Indian subjects. BMC Cardiovasc. Disord. 9, 28 (2009).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  67. Katz, D. L. School-based interventions for health promotion and weight control: not just waiting on the world to change. Annu. Rev. Public Health 30, 253–272 (2009).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  68. Venn, A. J. et al. Overweight and obesity from childhood to adulthood: a follow-up of participants in the 1985 Australian Schools Health and Fitness Survey. Med. J. Aust. 186, 458–460 (2007).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  69. Wojcicki, J. M. & Heyman, M. B. Let's move—childhood obesity prevention from pregnancy and infancy onward. N. Engl. J. Med. 362, 1457–1459 (2010).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  70. National Association for Sport and Physical Education Active start: A statement of physical activity guidelines for children from birth to five years [online], (2002).

  71. Barkley, J. E., Epstein, L. H. & Roemmich, J. N. Reinforcing value of interval and continuous physical activity in children. Physiol. Behav. 98, 31–36 (2009).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  72. Barnett, L. M., Morgan, P. J., van Beurden, E. & Beard, J. R. Perceived sports competence mediates the relationship between childhood motor skill proficiency and adolescent physical activity and fitness: a longitudinal assessment. Int. J. Behav. Nutr. Phys. Act. 5, 40 (2008).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  73. Barnett, L. M., van Beurden, E., Morgan, P. J., Brooks, L. O. & Beard, J. R. Does childhood motor skill proficiency predict adolescent fitness? Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 40, 2137–2144 (2008).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  74. Hannon, J. C. & Brown, B. B. Increasing preschoolers' physical activity intensities: An activity-friendly preschool playground intervention. Prev. Med. 46, 532–536 (2008).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  75. Williams, H. G. et al. Motor skill performance and physical activity in preschool children. Obesity 16, 1421–1426 (2008).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  76. Gutin, B. Child obesity can be reduced with vigorous activity rather than restriction of energy intake. Obesity 16, 2193–2196 (2008).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  77. Lanigan, J., Barber, S. & Singhal, A. Prevention of obesity in preschool children. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 69, 204–210 (2010).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  78. World Health Organization Physical activity and young people. [online], (2008).

  79. World Health Organization Global strategy on diet, physical activity, and health [online], (2004).

  80. Golan, M. & Crow, S. Targeting parents exclusively in the treatment of childhood obesity: long-term results. Obes. Rev. 12, 357–361 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  81. Bower, J. K. et al. The childcare environment and children's physical activity. Am. J. Prev. Med. 34, 23–29 (2008).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  82. Brown, T. & Summerbell, C. Systematic review of school-based interventions that focus on changing dietary intake and physical activity levels to prevent childhood obesity: an update to the obesity guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Obes. Rev. 10, 110–141 (2009).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  83. Pate, R. R. & O'Neill, J. R. After-school interventions to increase physical activity among youth. Br. J. Sports Med. 43, 14–18 (2009).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  84. Wilkin, T. J., Mallam, K. M., Metcalf, B. S., Jeffery, A. N. & Voss, L. D. Variation in physical activity lies with the child, not his environment: evidence for an 'activitystat' in young children (EarlyBird 16). Int. J. Obes. 30, 1050–1055 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  85. Ortega-Sanchez, R. et al. The effect of office-based physician's advice on adolescent exercise behaviour. Prev. Med. 38, 219–226 (2004).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  86. Meriwether, R. A., Lee, J. A., Lafleur, A. S. & Wiseman, P. Physical activity counseling. Am. Fam. Physician 77, 1129–1136 (2008).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  87. Hills, A. P. & Byrne, N. M. State of the science: a focus on physical activity. Asia Pac. J. Clin. Nutr. 15 (Suppl.), 40–48 (2006).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  88. Saelens, B. E. & Epstein, L. H. Behavioral engineering of activity choice in obese children. Int. J. Obes. Relat. Metab. Disord. 22, 275–277 (1998).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  89. Chakravarthy, M. V. & Booth, F. W. Eating, exercise, and “thrifty” genotypes: connecting the dots toward an evolutionary understanding of modern chronic diseases. J. Appl. Physiol. 96, 3–10 (2004).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  90. Biddle, S. J., Gorely, T. & Stensel, D. J. Health-enhancing physical activity and sedentary behaviour in children and adolescents. J. Sports Sci. 22, 679–701 (2004).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  91. Sisson, S. B. & Katzmarzyk, P. T. International prevalence of physical activity in youth and adults. Obes. Rev. 9, 606–614 (2008).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  92. Brownson, R. C., Boehmer, T. K. & Luke, D. A. Declining rates of physical activity in the United States: what are the contributors? Annu. Rev. Public Health 26, 421–443 (2005).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  93. Ekelund, U. et al. Physical activity but not energy expenditure is reduced in obese adolescents: a case-control study. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 76, 935–941 (2002).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  94. Hills, A. P. It's time to be more serious about activating youngsters: lessons for childhood obesity. J. Exerc. Sci. Fit. 7 (Suppl. 1), S28–S33 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  95. Olshansky, S. J. et al. A potential decline in life expectancy in the United States in the 21st century. N. Engl. J. Med. 352, 1138–1145 (2005).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  96. Biddle, S. J., Gorely, T. & Stensel, D. J. Health-enhancing physical activity and sedentary behaviour in children and adolescents. J. Sports Sci. 22, 679–701 (2004).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  97. Southall, J. E., Okely, A. D. & Steele, J. R. Actual and perceived competence in overweight and non-overweight children. Pediatr. Exerc. Sci. 16, 15–24 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  98. Lees, S. J. & Booth, F. W. In Nutrition and Fitness in Health, Aging and the Implementation of a Healthy Diet and Physical Activity Lifestyle (ed. Simopoulos, A. P) 73–79 (World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics, Karger, Basel, 2005).

    Google Scholar 

  99. Daley, A. J., Copeland, R. J., Wright, N. P. & Wales, J. K. 'I can actually exercise if I want to; it isn't as hard as I thought': a qualitative study of the experiences and views of obese adolescents participating in an exercise therapy intervention. J. Health Psychol. 13, 810–819 (2008).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  100. Morabia, A. & Costanza, M. C. Imagine. Prev. Med. 46, 85–86 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  101. Cutt, H., Giles-Corti, B. & Knuiman, M. Encouraging physical activity through dog walking: Why don't some owners walk with their dogs? Prev. Med. 46, 120–126 (2008).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  102. Bellows-Riecken, K. H. & Rhodes, R. E. A birth of inactivity? A review of physical activity and parenthood. Prev. Med. 46, 99–110 (2008).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  103. Sallis, R. E. Exercise is medicine and physicians need to prescribe it! Br. J. Sports Med. 43, 3–4 (2009).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  104. Exercise is medicine [online], (2010).

  105. Dollman, J. et al. A hitchhiker's guide to assessing young people's physical activity: Deciding what method to use. J. Sci. Med. Sport 12, 518–525 (2009).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  106. Salmon, J., Campbell, K. J. & Crawford, D. A. Television viewing habits associated with obesity risk factors: a survey of Melbourne schoolchildren. Med. J. Aust. 184, 64–67 (2006).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Human Movement Studies, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Australian Technology Network Centre for Metabolic Fitness, Queensland University of Technology, 60 Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, Qld 4059, Brisbane, Australia

    Andrew P. Hills

  2. Faculty of Education, Child Obesity Research Centre, University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, 2522, NSW, Australia

    Anthony D. Okely

  3. University of Sydney, Clinical School, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Locked bag 4001, Westmead, 2145, NSW, Australia

    Louise A. Baur

Authors
  1. Andrew P. Hills
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Anthony D. Okely
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Louise A. Baur
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

A. P. Hills and A. D. Okely researched the data for the article. A. P. Hills and L. A. Baur provided a substantial contribution to discussions of the content and writing the article. A. P. Hills, A. D. Okely and L. A. Baur contributed equally to reviewing and/or editing of the manuscript before submission.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrew P. Hills.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hills, A., Okely, A. & Baur, L. Addressing childhood obesity through increased physical activity. Nat Rev Endocrinol 6, 543–549 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2010.133

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2010.133

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing