Both journals covered the launch of the report on 25 January by the World Health Organization (WHO) Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity (ECHO).
As major contributors to the ECHO report, World Heart Federation (WHF) was delighted to contribute to this essential global media coverage, with CEO Johanna Ralston quoted as follows:
Wall Street Journal
“The report is an important step in debunking the myth that noncommunicable diseases are only a problem of high-income countries.”
The article talks about the increasing incidence of overweight children under the age of five and outlines the multipronged approach that the report recommends governments should take to address the issue, citing the positive example of maintaining the tax on sugary, non-alcoholic beverages in Mexico.
If you subscribe to the Wall Street Journal you can read the article in full here.
British Medical Journal
The BMJ also features the tax on sugar sweetened drinks and WHF’s position on this as one of the most straightforward initiatives to implement. Speaking further on the risk for children who had been underweight to become overweight, Johanna also stated:
“When children have been undernourished a biological response kicks in when they consume excess calories. The interplay of that with changes in the diet needs to be much better understood and examined. However, we can still take action.”
If you subscribe to the British Medical Journal you can read the article in full here.
