Arrangement

Symposium on the Obesity Epidemic

Understanding the History, Drivers, and Future of the Obesity Epidemic in Children and Adolescents

This symposium, hosted by the Center for Childhood Health, addresses the global and local trends in childhood and adolescent obesity. It aims to explore the historical evolution of the epidemic, the underlying drivers, and potential strategies for prediction and prevention, with a focus on Denmark’s unique context. 

Key Themes: 

  • Historical trends and predictions of future developments of obesity prevalence. 
  • The heterogeneity of the epidemic across regions and populations. 
  • Current knowledge gaps regarding the causes, drivers and progression of obesity. 

Purpose: 
The symposium seeks to advance understanding of the factors driving the obesity epidemic and identify actionable solutions to reverse or mitigate its development. It also aims to inspire future research and foster collaborations, potentially prioritizing efforts to address obesity within local populations.  

Programme: 

09.00-09.15 Welcome 
Morten K. Grønbæk, Centre for Childhood Health, Denmark   

09.15-09.45 The early phases of the obesity epidemic in Denmark 
Thorkild I.A. Sørensen, Centre for Childhood Health and University of Copenhagen, Denmark  

09.45-10.15 Multi-decadal trends and dynamics of underweight, overweight and obesity 
Majid Ezzati, Imperial College London, UK 

10.15-10.45 Coffee break 

10.45-11.15 Mathematical models of the obesity epidemic – predicting its future development  
Diana Thomas, United States Military Academy at West Point, USA 

11.15-11.45 Sociodemographic modelling of the drivers of the obesity epidemic 
Alberto Palloni, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA and Institute of Economics, Geography and Demography, Spain  

11.45-12.15 Methodological opportunities and challenges in identifying the drivers of the obesity epidemic 
George Davey Smith, University of Bristol, UK 

12.15-12.45 Panel discussion: Describing and analysing the obesity epidemic 
Majid Ezzati, Diana Thomas, Alberto Pallon, and George Davey Smith 

12.45-13.30 Lunch  

13.30-14.00 Impacts of maternal diet on offspring obesity risk – its contribution to the obesity epidemic 
John R. Speakman, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shenzhen, China, and University of Aberdeen, UK 

14.00-14.30 Postulated Contributors to Secular Changes in Obesity Prevalence: Exploring strength of causal inference and modifiability on the roads less travelled 
David B. Allison, Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, USA  

14.30-15.00 Coffee break 

15.00-15.30 Anthropological perspectives on population obesity 
Stanley Ulijaszek, University of Oxford, UK 

15.30-16.00 An economic history of the obesity epidemic in the USA, circa 1900-2024  
John Komlos, University of Munich, Germany 

16.00-16.45 Panel discussion: How do we get closer to modifiable drivers?  
John R. Speakman, David B. Allison, Stanley Ulijaszek, and John Komlos 

16.45-17.00 Concluding remarks and farewell 
Morten K. Grønbæk, Centre for Childhood Health  

Tid
09:00 - 17:00
Adresse

Kosmopol – Conference Centre
Fiolstræde 44
1171 Copenhagen
Danmark

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