Symposium on the Obesity Epidemic
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
Kosmopol – Conference Centre
Fiolstræde 44
1171 Copenhagen
Danmark