Jean-Michel Borys
Co-director and scientific coordinator, Epode and Epode European Network, France
Breaking the Wall of Childhood Obesity. What Parents, Politics, and Vegetables Can Do.
Ask a child which they like better, brussels sprouts or burgers, and the answer will be a quick one. No question that childhood obesity in the developed countries is increasing on a rapid scale – the question is how we can fight this disease, one of the most serious public health problems of our time and a leading preventable cause of death worldwide. To battle obesity means to battle our mentality: parents, politicians and schools all need to work together to tackle the every-day laziness that makes junk food appear the easiest way to feed a child, says Jean Michel Borys (1960), specialist in Endocrinology, Metabolic Diseases and Nutrition. His holistic concept – a combination of physical activity, nutrition and environmental interventions – has led him to develop Epode, launched to improve the quality and nutritional value of school dinners in France, where it has proven to be so successful that it is now being exported to other countries. Prevention is always the first step in preparing a battle. If you are prepared, we have a meal for you today at this conference – the same that is being served to French schoolchildren on Bory’s initiative. Only without the brussels sprouts. Bon appétit.
