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Experts call for more early intervention on obesity

Health Birth to Threes
As a growing body of research suggests child obesity starts in the
womb, health experts are calling for greater intervention early on.

Neena Modi, professor of neonatal medicine at Imperial College London, is arguing that rather than targeting anti-obesity campaigns at adults and young people - efforts that have so far failed - the Government should focus on pregnant women and babies.

Her comments follow the health secretary Jeremy Hunt's vow last month to make tackling childhood obesity a top priority, and to develop a national strategy to help address the problem.

According to Professor Modi, who took over as president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in April, the 'seeds for obesity and poor health are sown very early on'.

She said that obese mothers were more likely to have obese children, who will grow to be obese adults.

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