Combating childhood overweight and obesity: the role of Olympic Movement and bodily movement

With over 420 million children (aged 0 - 19 years) worldwide living with overweight or obesity, the ‘obesity epidemic’ or ‘globesity’ is a defining public health challenge of this generation. While significant efforts have been made to address obesity in adults, less attention has been given to the critical issue of childhood overweight and obesity. Alarmingly, these children are five times more likely to remain overweight and obese into adulthood compared to their non-obese counterparts.1 Consequently, there is a high likelihood that these children will contribute to a further increase in the prevalence of adulthood obesity in the future. Obesity is a disease characterized by the accumulation of excess adiposity. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), for children aged between 5 – 19 years, overweight and obesity are defined as BMI-for-age greater than 1 standard deviation (s.d.) and 2 s.d. above the WHO Growth Reference median. Childhood obesity is a complex condition influenced not only by poor diet or physical inactivity but also by genetic factors. Studies on identical twins have underscored the significant role genetics play in the development of childhood obesity. While genetics may predispose individuals to weight gain, social determinants and environmental conditions also play a substantial Journal Pre-proof role in shaping children's body weight. Governments and international organizations are key bodies to formulate long-term policies to combat childhood overweight and obesity. 

The Olympic Movement, composed of three main pillars – the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Sports Federations (IFs), and the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), is an action that contributes to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport. It can act as a catalyst in encouraging the next generation to adopt an active and healthy lifestyle. Given the fact that the exposure to Olympic games is associated with decreased risk of overweight in children (OR 0.42 95% CI 0.18 to 0.98),2 how the Olympic Movement promotes and supports the importance of bodily movements and the implementation of various programs after the Olympic Games could greatly curb the trend of childhood overweight and obesity.