The Knowledge Board:
Obesity
Hi I'm Belinda I'm your community manager at The Patients Voice.
If you would like to leave a comment please click on link at the bottom of the page.
You can reach me at belinda.shale@healthcarelandscape.com.
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Below a some key words under discussion in this blog |
For this study we are interested in determining what factors parent perceive contribute significantly to childhood obesity. The purpose of this blog is to help us frame a research project into childhood obesity by finding out the issues which are important to people who suffer from the condition. So your contribution is vital!
Childhood obesity is a condition that affects children. It is characterized by a weight well above the mean for their height and age and a body mass index (BMI) well above the norm. It is estimated that 1 in 5 UK children are obese.
Click here for a link to find out your or your childs’ BMI
Part of this blog will explore your thoughts on what parent can do to influence the food choices their children make.
Feel very free to tell us your story. In particular we are interested in the following questions
Julie Brannan | 06/07/2007 09:52:00
I do see childhood obesity you only have to sit in a park or on a beach and see whole families who are medically overweight.
I believe its parents relying on fast food, fried food and definitely takeaways. More convenient as more women take to the working world.
Junk food is cheaper than fresh fruit, vegetables and meat. Healthy breads, margerines etc are more expensive to buy than more fattening unhealthy store cupboard fillers.
The majority of parents don't try to educate there children in health and nutrition. Included in this is exercise. Children do less exercise as they reach teens choosing consoles and TV.
As parents, bombarded with healthy eating education, we should know by now what is a good and bad diet for our kids. I find it's just a case of limiting poor food such as crisps, fatty foods, sweets and cakes. I don't feel it right to ban these foods, but to eat and enjoy in moderation. At the same I always have pleanty of fruit for snacks as well as providing propper meals which avoids 'grazing' on poor foods. Eating properly is incorproated in our family way of life and in the family rules, it's never been too dificult as I lead from example and concequently we are all a good BMI and have no hang-ups about food.
It is a myth that junk food is cheaper than fresh food a fast food take out for a family of 4 is going to cost a minimum of £8.00 I can feed my family using fresh ingredients, including fruit and vegetables on less than £1.00 a head for the evening meal. I have been on a low income and/or benefits while my children were growing up and quite frankly I could never afford take-away options. As for not having enough time to prepare fresh meals, on the occassions I have been lucky enough to be working full time I still prepared fresh food for the evening meal. Also 3 year olds do not do the weekly shopping therefore it is up to the parent to buy and prepare nutritious healthy food, and if the kid is whinging to be consistent and to say no and mean no. Kids do learn from parents,and that includes whether a parent will give in and keep changing their mind if the kid keeps whinging, they do not bother starting if they know no is their final answer.
I believe parents are responsible for what their children eat. I know it can be difficult to ensure your children are eating healthily but it can be done (if you are as hard as nails and twice as stubborn as your children).
I think food manufacturers also have a responsibility and that there is far too much processed,fast food available.
Part of the problem is that most mothers work now and they have a limited time for food preparation - it's very easy and quicker to open a packet and nuke it. I do not buy the argument that it is cheaper to use processed food. I buy fresh and save money so I think it is a time issue and of course pressure from the children to buy all the items they see advertised.
Another contributer to childhood obesity is lack of exercise. When my children were young they were always outside - playing ball games,riding their bikes,playing tag etc. TV was watched for about half an hour a day. These days you do not see children playing outside on a regular basis.
As commented by Shiva, young children do not do the food shopping so it really is down to the parent(s) to buy fresh,nutritious food and to limit the snacks. It can be done - neither of my children are obese and I do not think that they suffered when I said no. I admit that at the time it was easier for me as the amount of junk food available was far less and,I think, the advertising less aggressive.
I think it is a very complex issue and has many answers. I agree that the stats must be too high because there are very few in my childs school. Unfortunately she is one of them and it is not through sweets, fizzy drinks, crisps or junk food.
We do not have those foods in the house. She only found out the other day that crisps come in more than 4 flavours and she is now 9. I only buy them when feeding other kids (who don't have a weight issue) who only eat junk food.
Sweets, she doesn't really like. She loves the idea, but eats a few then they go in the cupboard and visiting children eat them. She never eats what comes in party bags. I do not buy many cakes or biscuits, nor do I make them. I limit it to one cake or one pack of biscuits per month.
We eat fairly healthily, most food is freshly prepared and always eat fresh veg and fruit. All pasta and bread is wholemeal, rice is brown. Took a while to get her to eat it, but now tastes better than white. She is not a very fussy child and will eat most things you put in front of her. Fast food is limited to twice a month.
Her excess weight is only on her torso. Arms and legs are fine. She has been like it since birth and yes she was breast fed and no she didn't have a high birth weight. She is tall for her age, height of an eleven year old.
Lack of regular exercise was a problem, but I've been addressing that for both of us. My problem is I eat too much and don't exercise enough. I also eat when stressed or upset - so emotional eating is a feature. Whether it is for her, I haven't sussed yet.
I never talk about dieting to her, we just talk about eating healthy food and exercising. She does have a gluten and lactose intollerance. For 2 years we tried to keep to gluten free foods but didn't make any real impact on her weight, nor does cutting out dairy. But intake of dairy does actually upset her physically, so that does not feature much in her diet.
So this to me is a real issue and I have gone on nutrition workshops to try to understand what we should both eat and do generally keep to the guidelines.
I think my bottom line is really exercise, which is going to take a sustained effort. If after 6 months it has not made any tangible difference, then I am going to check out any other medical causes because I am doing what I can.
I do have one gripe though. When she stays with friends, I often have the parents saying what a good eater she is, not fussy, will eat what they give her, but they give her more because she has eaten it all! She doesn't need it.
The big problem we face is the fact that most parents are so overstretghed financually that both parents are working. These leaves little time for the Mother to spend time preparing meals for all the family. Thus we end up with everybody eating at different times and probably quick meals. When the economic situation changes we will probably get back to the years when only DAD worked and Mum spent time looking after everybody.
I don't see many obese children at school so I'm not too sure how accurate the statistics are.
I have 3 children all brought up on the same diet, breastfed for 10+ months & weaned on a huge variety of pureed veg & fruit. However the youngest, nearly 6, who has a tendency to be overweight, will now only eat 2 or 3 vegetables & no fruit at all, whilst the other two continue to eat a whole variety of healthy foods. We have a 'cooked from scratch' family meal together every day but nothing will persuade her to try anything else on offer.
So my experience is - whilst parents can offer a healthy diet they cannot persuade a strong willed child!!
convenience foods and parental indifference and idleness all contribute equally.
Get off your butt and cook food from scratch for your children and then get outside with them whenever you can rather than slob out.
All three of my children are tall and slim - because of the above.
Indolence = obesity
Patrents have a duty to bring up their children with effectiveness. Allowing a child to have what it wants all the time is not training them for the future.
The parents additional knowledge should also be used to teach and direct the child, otherwise we will not have a useful member of society.
As a parent of lots of kids and little money in the past to feed them on I could not afford to go to fast food places. income support only stretches so far when you have bills to pay. We were all fit well and healthy, walked alot and eat lots of fruit and veg and a little meat and very few snacks.
Now i have a good job, a car, I am over weight (partly due to stress depression and prescribed medicines) but i have 5 wonderful right sized kids. They walk to / from school daily, packed lunches, enjoy after school clubs involving sports, and I control the amount of crisps and chocolate we have in the house. I decide what meals we have and when, so I belive that doing is better than just saying. They understand what over weight is and how it has affected my health. They are now seeing the weight come off with a controlled diet which i have described as lots of new recipies to try. I take them to keep fit with me and they love that.
They are encouraged in each of thier schools to eat sensibly ( no crisps and chocolate snacks etc allowed in school) advise is given for parents who make up packed lunches. The PTFA provide a breakfast club and healthy food options at break time. Lots of sports encouraged as Fun.
Information, knowledge and motivation to use what you know to best your best advantage is the key.
Families on low incomes - do they actually get anough money for food each week to suport the HEALTHY food diets of their families? Would it help if they all got vouchers for fresh fruit and veg per family member so the money goes to the right food instead of alternatives? !!!!
My 2 are still very young, but I am determined to ensure that they grow up healthily. I agree with the comments about changes in lifestyles, and meals prepared in a hurry. Poor education is also a factor here. I grew up with computers and tv, but I played outside and seemed to enjoy a lot of freedom that todays' children don't. I also ate the odd McDonalds and KFC growing up, as a treat, and viewed it as such too, not the norm. My mum prepared meals from scratch every night.
I remember 1 or 2 overweight kids, but it wasn't an issue. My mum used to bake cakes every now and then, and I was quite popular with my friends when that happened! I definitely don't recall any of my friends worrying about their weight, well, not at that age anyway.
I too have a problem with my 16yr old boy eating junk food as often as he can. I stopped buying chocolate biscuits , crisps etc as he was eating far too many but he just buys them himself . I cook healthy meals and always have fresh fruit on hand but he states he does not like the taste and refuses to eat them.He is not yet obese but I am afraid he will be and desperately wish he would change his eating habits, as your children get older you cannot get them to eat as well as you could when they were smaller, the only thing I can say that as a small child I gave him a good start with plenty of healthy foods and hope that he will realise and change his eating habits before he gets too large.
I see obese children wherever I go. They are children from as young as 2/3 and up to the age of 16/17, no-one else but the parents are to blame for it. There is too much emphasis nowadays on junk food, being driven everywhere, playing on computer games and watching TV as well as not eating at the table as a family at the right times of day.
As a child of the 60s/70s, I grew up walking everywhere and that included 2 miles to school and back every single day, no matter what the weather, it didn't do me any harm, kept me fit and made me independent. We played out...yes outside...with our peers doing physical games such as skipping, rounders, hide and seek and various other games besides riding bikes etc. We ate as a family, at tea time (between 5 and 6pm) EVERY night without fail and it was good, honest, down to earth food such as shpeherds pie, stews etc. We had sweets, of course we did, but we also burned off the calories consumed by doing all that exercise, which we didn't see as such anyway!
Parents these days, and it isn't just the poorer families OR single parents, because I come into BOTH catagories, are all too happy to shove their children in front of the telly with a bag of sweets or crisps from the age they can first sit up. They then graduate to computer games and being driven to school or taken on a bus. They are fed convenience foods eaten in front of the telly again and then they slouch around all night after that instead of playing out.
I know this doesn't apply to all families, but childhood obesity is becoming a major problem and if parents don't start to do something about it there isn't going to be a next generation they are going to be dead before they are 20 at this rate from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease and the like. Being over weight has so many "knock on" effects, its a major cause of bullying, leading to depression which in turn leads to more eating, it needs stamping out and it doing NOW! All it takes is a few changes in habit and doing things as a family.
Ok rant over sorry it went on a bit!
i have four children all are slim build just like i was. i am still very careful what i let my children eat,but i understand it will be harder when they are older an can make choices on the own.
when disscussing obesity i feel there are many factors to blame junk food being one of them. that is were the parents roll is inportant.if we feed our children everything they ask for we only have ourselves to blame if our child becomes over weight. the younger we start to encourge healthy eating the better.
exersise is also very important. i see many parents drive their children to school when the live in a 10/15min walking distance.it is far to convinent to let your child sit in frount of a computer,tv or game boy etc.i really feel children need us to entertain them,give them something to do which is wrong.children should be ecoraged to think for themselves think of activerties the would like to do.they should be encourged to play outside more often and enjoy more outdoor activerties.
We now live in a consumer society were children get what they want through peer pressure and a ‘must have’ attitude. School sports are vanishing … kids are sat at games consoles / computers playing away for hours on end, parents are too frightened to let them play out in the street, they are driven to and from school (and activities if their lucky).
All the junk they are eating is turning them into sedentary beings that have no inclination to move or partake in activities if they don’t have to. Its chocolate cereals, high fat /salt / sugar lunch then probably a pre-packaged tea … and that’s not including the snacks and sugar soda drinks in-between.
People have forgotten what is really important; a majority of parents are too busy to prepare a home cooked meal as it easier to go to the fridge / freezer and take something out that is pre-packaged. This type of food is full of additives, preservatives sugars and salts … not a good start in life!
Some kids don’t even know how to eat with a knife and fork, which I find horrifying. Patterns are set for life in the early years and if your children live on pre-packaged foods then this is all they will know and crave. We need to go back to basics – proper home cooked food and sitting down at the dinning table. The art of being a family is dying this is one of the fundamentals “of being”
I agree that modern living has a lot to do with childhood obesity, e.g. working hours leading to convenience food being used more.
Also sometimes it is a case of the parents needing educating on healthy eating/cooking simply. One problem with healthy foods is the price and it seems that foods on offer or cheaper foods are often the unhealthy ones.
My son is at the moment coming to the end of a brilliant progaramme called MEND, run in the main by Sainsburys. He has had regular fun exercise, team games, tennis, etc and also learnt about healthy eating, labelling of food and had the opportunity to try new foods. We have had menus and also a trip to our local Sainsbury's to look at labels and suchlike. Highly recommended. I have found he has taken more notice when the advice comes from someone other than me! I beleive we need to educate children early on to set them up for a better way of eating in future life.
I'm a mum of two and i'm morbidly obese myself, I'm struggling with trying to control my weight. The issues health and emotional that come with being twice your natural body weight are traumatic. For this reason My main goal for my children is that they don't end up like me! When i was a child i was perfect weight and health I grew up on lots of out door play, lots of outdoor sports at school, a healthy meat and 2 veg diet that didn't have all the chemicals added nothing was artificial. I still had sweetis and chocolate but i could have a salad for my lunch at school. It was after leaving that age and suddenly the fast food industry hit us and then pocessed food and tv dinners and food became fast and artifical, and that coupled with a desk job and not knowing how to keep active the weight problem starts. One thing i do know is that i do not want my children to go down the same route. And they are not! I think the key is to lead by example in what you do and what you eat and through education, as a family we go to the gym at weekends the girls think this is exciting they love to go they love having a go on the tread mill, they are too younge to actually use the gym they are 9 and 7 but they are seeing that going to the gym is fun and a normal thing to do when your a teamager and an adult. Food wise we have lots of talks about artifical ingredients and what that does to your metabolism and your bodies biochemisty (I am a medical biochemist by the way but you can get all the info for your children on the internet very easily) we talk about how you balance up your diet to stay fit and healthy we don't discuss weight because im my opinion if you eat a healthy balanced diet with healthy potion sizes and you get good amounts of exercise daily and drink the right amount of water weight is never an issue. The problem i see with helping young people is fast food, peer presure to eat the latest nasty colourful sweet thing. The media advertising of junk food and lack of education for both children and parents. parents need to be shown how to go back to cooking from natural soursed foods like fruits and vegs and lean meats, To many people are shown how to reheat rather than actually cook. our problem is we have 2 generations that have grown up in the junk/fast food era, I have come across young mums in my work that have never eaten what i call a real peice of meat they have lived there entire life on sausages, burgers and chicken nuggets, and they think adding chips to this is all the veg they need, Its appalling these mums feel terrible but don't know what to do because they don't have any cooking skills. I really think the answer is to learn from our past go back to real food with meals of lean meat and veg, reduce the amount of bread paster and rice we eat and stop eating so many fast carbohydrate foods like crisps and biscuits, Get rid of the junk high in fat and salt and get rid of all the artifical foods with artificial additives, Get kids and people dinking water and go back to playing team games and doing things out doors kick your kics out into the garden and throw away the playstation.
My 15 year old son is overweight
he plays rugby for a club and for school and trains regularly. he east sensibly (all our household do) he is nearly always playing some kind of sport yet still has a weight problem.
why?
well but myself and his mum are over weight too as is his younger brother and i think some of it HAS to be down to genetic make up.
as for childhood obesity being more prevelent? i'd say yes it is. there certainly seems to be more over weight kids around that thier used to be.
Both of my children are normal weight. (aged 4 and 8)
I do not worry about how much they eat.
They have a large choice of food to choose from. I always eat with them but I am not perfect so they do sometimes eat at fast food places, have chocolate spread and sweets.
I think that children know their own bodies until adults interfere. I never make them eat or comment on their body weight. I avoid all talk of diets but we do talk about eating healthy.
I think its when children suffer from emotional trauma that they can put on weight to comfort themselves or when parents put pressure on children by putting them on diets. I think this sets them up for a lifelong battle which the diet industry feeds on. The answer to emotional issues is therapy not another diet.
My 8 year old son is classed as overweight. He is concerned about his weight and being bullied at school.
One problem is the fact that spends regular weekends at his grandparents and they are well known or the large portions they serve for meals. One portion is sufficient for two people.
ANother reason is overweight is due to the fact that he is broad shouldered which he gets from his dad. This means that part of his problems are due to being given too much food - which most of the time he will eat, and also due to his physical attributes.
His weight problem is certainly not due to lack of eating breakfast as he in fact very often tells me off when I don't have time to eat it. I do know that bread is bad for him at it does make him bloated so I counteract this by having very little bread in the house.
Obesity in children is more prevelant.
Young children aren't made to do proper PE lessons anymore. Also in many cases parents many of whom work are so rushed in the evening it is far easier to pull out the ready meal or takeaway to feed their kids on.
I am not blaming parents as such (I am one myself and also struggle to fit it all in) but small things help my two year old can't remember the last time she used the buggy - it is just about redundant but i constantly see children of four and upwards being pushed around in buggies. Many with bottles of milk to keep them quite. (again i am not specificaly blaming parents but we all know it's easier to carry the shopping on the buggy with a child strapped safely inside)
Another thing we parents are guilty of is insisting our children clean the plate or finish most of a meal (I am guilty of this too sometimes). After all children really won't let themselves starve.
Maybe if we start with small steps at an early age they would be more inclined to like general excersise and food that will lead to more rigourous PE lessons and sensible eating later on.
The government is doing it's bit by providing sensible meal options for school lunches but they can't be blamed for the choices parents make a macdonalds/ready meal is fine occasionally but several times a week is pushing it. And in realty if is far cheaper to cook your own meals than forking out for take out's and ready meals.
I am overweight but my kids are not.
I agree that it is the responsibility of the parents to make sure that their kids are healthy, which includes overweight/underweight, and in doing so must show an interest in what they eat as adults as it does influence their kids to a certain degree.
I have been told by many a practitioner that it is not lack of exercise that makes you fat it is what and how much you eat.
Ella sounds like she is making excuses, I apologise if that is not the case, ie many a swimmer is broad shouldered, dad or otherwise, yet you don't see many fat swimmers.
I believe the problem with child obesity deffinatley starts at home. An obese child is more than likely to come from a background of large or obese parents or family members. It is up to parents, from the day the child starts on solids, to provide healthy food choices for them so they can get a taste of the good nutritious food from the offstart. The problem is parents eating rubbish and the children following the example of their parents. Allowing children to eat large portions of food and no discipline where meal times are concerened, allowing them to eat in between meals with crisps and sweets and sugary drinks all contributes to this fact. Another major cause is lack of excersise. Everyone is indoors watching tv, on the computer or playing video games. Children should be out in the open playing and getting a good amount of excersise on most days.
I am a bit mixed on media because yes the media advertises a lot of unhealthy food targeted at young children but it's the companies that decide to make these products for the children that should take the brunt of the blame. The media advertise what is there and is available to them. A lot of the food brand companies out there are just in it to make money. They don't really care about the health of the children so they won't make the best decisions where health is concerned. Parents can counteract this problem by demonstrating through the power of choice, to choose the healthier options for their children thereby decreasing the influence of these profit hungry companies.
The worst thing for children is the fact its there, until the government puts a ban on the stuff they will just get worse and worse (look at cigarettes, they finally putting a ban on smoking in public places so there is hope!!)
I believe that adverts have some influence on what children will eat but its the parents responsibility to buy the food not the childrens. I believe that children should eat a bit of everything in moderation , i always did and its never done me any harm.
I think there are far too many "nasty" additives in foods which certainly don't do our children any good. I believe healthy eating should start from weaning and continue on a daily basis throughout life. 3 healthy meals a day can be acheived very easily but alas many parents today have not been educated into how to cook healthy food.
Breakfast cereal with fresh fruit no added sugar and milk is extremely easy and nutritious.
packed lunch including salads, fruit, nuts, and chicken or cheese etc are very easily prepared and with the aid of todays cooling lunch bags keep fresh and chilled.
evening meal, could be a healthy stirfry with rice or noodles, or even griddled chicken/fish in sauce is very simple to prepare serve with vegetables either microwaved or steamed all made in around 30 mins or a casserole cooked in a slow cooker all day ready to serve when u get home from work. It just takes a little time to prepare either the night before or in the morning.
When i was at school we had domestic science, we was taught how to prepare and cook nutritiously balanced meals including how to make home made breads to full 3 course meals.
When my 3 older children did cooking at school they were taught how to make tinned soup more nutritious! I think the lack of knowledge of both cooking and nutrition has led to many obese children.
Also the lack of at least 1 " sit at the table " family meal a day has resulted in many children being given "convienient" tv meals, and the same sort of families who allow their kids to leave their meal then go and fill up on junk eg crisps and biscuits has lead not just to obesity but lack of discipline and manners too.
I understand many parents are working fulltime hours but this should not cost our kids their healthy diets. with todays cooking aids and gadgets a good nutritious meal can be prepared and made inside 30mins. These type of meals should be taught to our kids in school as well as being taught and expeirenced in the home.
I do think the lack of good old fashioned family values is very much a major part in child obesity.
ok rant over.
It is great to see the number of people here that agree that the parents should bear the majority of the responsibility for their children's weight.
As a working single Dad, I have two healthy girls, who prefer a cooked dinner to a McDonalds, and enjoy fruit as much as sweets as a snack. I'd say if I can do it, most people can. The idea that removing junk food ads will magically resize our children is ludicrous! It is up to the parents to educate, inform and, where necessary, enforce healthy eating. If your school is not providing healthy meals you can either lobby the governers or switch to sandwiches, and if adverts make your children ask for junk - you can always decline.
I would say, however, that with the ever-increasing range of exotic foods becoming available the advice on what is or isn't healthy is not keeping pace. Trying to get dietary advice from your local surgery is harder than piloting a helicopter blindfolded! With the increase in multi-GP practices we should have dieticians available as a matter of course - my surgery has 8 doctors, two nurses and about 6 receptionists/administrators - but no dietician, which is a deificiency that should be rectified.
My daughter, who is now 12, went through a few years of being overweight - or so I thought! I took her to see our Dr because I was concerned and there was so much written in the press about child obesity but the Dr said that she was within a nomal weight range for her height. About a year ago, she shot up height wise and any excess fat just seemed to disappear so I tend to think that the condition is over dramatised.
• How much of an influence do you think the online advertising of fast food has on children food choices?
i think it has a large influence as they see these things advertised and then want them next time you go shopping or if its for fast food they want it for tea that night.it is up to us to not let them have it all but if the advertisements were for better food and the food was made healthier we would not have to let them down so much and look like the baddies.
• What measures should parents take to ensure that children make healthy food choices?
they should first show a good example and eat healthy themselves and teach kids that its ok to have an odd treat but not to live on them.also to cook in healthier ways and show kids how to cook in the kitchen, then they are brought up thinking this is the norm and their taste buds deevelop to healthy tastes/foods rather that fried and deep fried.
I have 5 children and each one of them enjoys junk food but i believe in moderation so if they want burger and chips then i make my own and add a salad that the children have helped to prepare. I also let the children grow there own vegetables in the garden so they get to eat there own homegrown produce and get some fresh area and exercise instead of sitting in front of the tv or games console
I beleive one of the faults is food manufactors,by trying to make as much profit as they can. By using cheap atficial fillers. For those who rely on convienient food they just dont know what is in the food they are eating. So a good well balanced diet must be better. Which I fed my own children.My own are both of normal weight , I knew what I was feeding them had no extra additives.
Most children dont like school sports but do like to be able to run about while at home, as most new homes now very small garden, if any , where are they meant to run, we all know that they are no longer safe to leave the home on their own. So they sit in front of the pc or tv, which is not ideal. Goverment needs to address this by stop making builders building houses with no gardens, this would help !!
I am not sure what is the answer, apart from common sense.
Everyone here seems to be blaming the parents for their child's unhealthy diet but i know I am not alone in my problem with my son--I have always been interested in nutrition and am fully aware of what foods are healthy and unhealty. We eat very healthily-lots of fruit and veg and I cook all my meals from scratch.( My child has never been given a ready-meal in his life.)however we are not overstrict(sweets and junk food are not banned completely).My son however has always been a fussy eater and everytime I read an article aimed at mums with fussy eaters they wrongly assume we don't know what foods are healthy and that we are piling them up with chips! They give silly advice that "if you make the food attractive, the child will eat it eg try making carrot crudites" or" arrange your vegtables into a funny face on the plate" This makes me so angry as any child that eats fruit and vegetables just because they are arranged in a funny face, is NOT a fussy eater, they have just never been offered healthy food by their parents before. Yes some kids don't eat fruit and veg because their parents are ignorant about nutrition and have never offered them to their kids but don't assume all fussy eaters have such parents! My child will not touch any fruit and veg or tomato-based sauces despite the good example we set and despite being offered a large variety of them. I was always made to feel like a bad mum when the dinner ladies at school told me he would not eat any fruit and veg and gave me a look as if to suggest that I was an ignorant parent! Despite being a very fussy eater, my son is not overweight because I have watched his diet and kept his junk food intake low(eg given him rice and potato instead of chips). I now am having difficulties with this because he has started secondary school- unlike primary school, the parents cannot pay for their child's school dinners in advance-instead you have to give your child the money each day for their dinner.A few weeks into the first term, with my son coming home ravenous every day I got out of him that he and his mates did not like queing up all lunchtime only to find that when they got to the front of the queue,all the"good" things had run out and only "horrid" things ( eg veg-based) were left. So instead, they were spending their dinner money on sweetsand crisps on the way to school. I immediately stopped giving him money and put him on packed lunches instead. The packed lunches kept coming home uneaten and I found out that his friends were giving him a share of their sweets and crisps! At this rate he will be overweight in no time and it is obvious that his peer group at school are all eating unhealthily. I don't know the solution to this problem as the school can't be held to blame for not providing healthy food- it is just that a large proportion of the kids do not want to eat it or spend their lunchtime queing for it ( which is how it is done in all secondary schools). I just want to show all you people out their feeling smug because your children eat everything, that you can have a fussy-eater for a child no matter how hard you try as a parent. My next-door(vegetarian)neighbour has one child that eats everything that is put in front of him and one child that won't eat anything but bread and ham - so how can this be her bad example or ignorance?
I believe it is the parents that need educating about balanced, nutritious and healthy food for their children and not the children themselves. Children learn by example and if their parents eat healthily and explain why certain foods should be moderated a child will recognise what is good to eat and what to avoid.
I think it's a nonsense to blame fast-food companies for childhood obesity...if parents buy from such places they cannot blame the companies. Also what is wrong with an occasional indulgence? Are we all so stupid as to not know what is healthy and good for our children? Do we need to be told what to avoid?
Modern living certainly doesn't help. Nobody walks anymore, more parents are working than ever before so everything is done as quickly as possible. This is certainly true of cooking. Never before have so many ready meals and pre-cooked foods been consumed. If we could just go back to basics our children would be far healthier and we as parents would be far happier!
There were always children who were fatter than others and I feel the current obsession with weight is making for even more stress for the young. Most of the "fat" kids I went to school with in the early 60's are now slender, fit grandparents!
However, there are many extra-curricula activities laid on for young people these days and parents and teachers seem to think their job is done if they drive their children to one of these clubs, then pick them up again!
Children are not allowed out to play after school, even in rural areas and so the joys of building a "den" in the local wood, or searching for vole-holes along a stream bank are lost to them. An hour after shool is not enough activity for children to remain fit. They need to be constantly on the move, interested and stimulated.
Unfortunately, most children seem to be stuck in a room (on a beautiful day!) with a computer or games machine, talking on their mobile phone to the child next door.
We should not allow a tiny, tiny TINY risk of abduction to take away our children's childhood - they should be permitted to go further afield as they get older and more responsible, with a group of friends.
This would solve some other social problems caused by lack of social skills as well as help children keep fitter and more interested in life.
PS - McDonalds food as a TREAT! No, no! I used it a a punishment when they didn't come home at tea time!
"You'll have to have a grease-burger" seemed to do the trick!
In recent years women have made a virtue out of not cooking. In fact they would gaze at TV cameras and giggle coyly, proud to say they were hopeless in the kitchen.
I held down a job as soon as the children were at Secondary school, but I always cooked from scratch and we always had a sit down together evening meal. I was too poor to buy convenience food. We were also too poor for a car and so walked everywhere. The only choice over food that my children could have was whether to eat it or not. Fortunately I am a brilliant cook, and there used to be butchers who would advise on cheaper cuts and how to cook them, fishmongers likewise.
I see obese and podgy children trailing their parents in supermarkets and you can tell by just looking that they are constipated as well, because the skin is a bad colour and they are listless and petulant. The trolleys are full of fizzy drinks and crisps and you just know that no-one takes any exercise.
Ignorance, laziness and a complete lack of discipline.
Some children with obesity suffer through no fault of there own, my daughter was bullied at school over a period of six years, through that she became a comfort eater, and had an eating disorder, when that happens a childs confidence has gone and it can take a long time to regain it. The more they gain weight the more they are bullied, So parents cannot be blamed for their child being obese all they can do is to help them over come it.
This whole phenomenon starts before birth. In obese women, their babies have a poor start in life anyway. If the babies are then bottle fed it just goes downhill from there.
I was in an Asda in one of the poorer areas in my city, and was shocked at how unhealthy most of the children looked. Overweight, bad teeth, and usually accompanied by parents wheeling tolley loads of convenience foods - they had usually also given the child a fizzy drink or some kind of sweet to keep them quiet.
The supermarkets also stock their shelves differently - more microwave meals in poorer areas and more fresh produce in more affluent ones.
General ignorance of diet and how to eat healthily (and in most cases more cheaply) is a huge problem. Probable cause is more women working otside the home and losing the skills required to produce a good home made meal. Bring back home economics for all I say!
Sounds like a huge rant and blaming it all on women, however I think we all know how much influence a woman has on her family's diet and no amount of PCness will change that, sorry.
I don't know how we can make changes happen across the board, but I do know that there are people in about 2 generations out there right now who have no idea about balanced diets for children
I am a fat adult, there are many of us and we are fat for many reasons. But I hate to see fat children, I don't mean tubby children - but fat.
When we were young we went out to play, we wandered for miles in the woodland. We had no money so we didn't stop off for a McDonalds for a snack. We were active and having fun.
My mother was a good cook - mince and tatties, stew, soup etc so we always ate well, but we were also treated to fish and chips now and again. But we burned off the calories by taking exercise.
Children today have computers, games, TV and a wide selection of snack foods. They consume drinks filled with sugar and the snacks are usually high in fats.
There is no magic solution to this problem. I hated sports at school - but maybe the schools can find alternative sports or activities that would suit the children incapable of running around a track in the rain, or (like me) were a danger with a hockey stick.
What we mustn't do is make a child go on a 'diet' - just carefully omit some of the calorie laden foods and slowly increase the exercise.
Molly | 11/07/2007 11:45:00
I was born in 1948, just as many sweet things were coming off ration after WWII. My mother positively encouraged me to eat sweets, chocolate and sugar, as these were treats which had been unavailable for years. I would be given bread and butter with white sugar spread on it, or a morning roll and butter with soft brown sugar. A regular mid-morning snack was an orange with three sugar cubes pressed into the middle of it (one sucked the juice through the sugar). Naturally, being given this kind of stuff led to childhood obesity.
My parents were intelligent and educated people, but there was little advice in those days about dietary matters. There would be absolutely no excuse today for parents feeding their children in that way.
I was born in 1959 and from the age of about 7 began to gain weight quickly and excessively. When I look back on my own history and my struggle with obesity I feel quite sad. I remember the taunts and bullying both at school an outside of school. My mother was one of those women who believed a meal wasn't substantial if your plate wasn't over flowing and if you didn't eat every pick that was on your plate. By thirteen I weighed 13 stone and at this point my mother decided that it was all my own fault, I was greedy, and needed to diet. From 13 I was prescribed a pill called TENUATE DOSPAN by my GP. I was really to young to understand what it was, but I do remember being told it was an appetite supressant. While my peers had fun and gorged on sweets and chips and things, I would start the day with half a grapefruit, which made me wretch, I was made to come home for lunch, in case I ate something I shouldn't and lunch would be 2 cream crackers and a banana, preceeded by what was called and AYD, this was a slimming aid in the form of a toffee, tea time I would come home to a small piece of steamed fish, or 3 LIMMITS SAVOURY BISCUITS, the 3 biscuits was Limmits recomended amount for a meal. I was allowed nothing more that day. Yes I lost weight, and yes it was under the GP, but my life was so miserable. After 2-3 years of the tablets I was 7stone 7pounds and GP said ne more were required. That was it. Mam went back to cooking me hugh meals and within a year I was back at the GP, and the whole cycle started again. Now 47 my life has been a long journey of Yo-yo dieting, some of this my fault for being weak where food is concerned and some of it my mothers fault for feeding me man size meals and forcing me to eat every morsel,or be sent to my room and have it warmed up for my next meal. I have had 3 children, my daughter is a carbon copy of me as I am of my mother, by this I mean we are all the same height, same shape, and gain weight at the drop of a hat. I have a sister and brother who are copies of my father, tall and slim. My own 2 boys are taller and slim like their father. I am compelled to question the hereditry aspect because in all sincerity I should not be the size and weight that I am now. I eat healthier and well within a 1200 calorie in take each day. I walk every where and have a 40 hour a week shop floor job with eight hour shifts and constantly on the move, I still gain weight. I had half of my thyroid removed some years ago due to a cyst or tumour and have never taken any medication for a thyroid disorder dispite the fact I show several of the symptoms of Under activity which are some times quite severe and depressing. My GP is like many GPS and is unable to see past her fat glasses. I feel terribly let down.
I feel that modern living does have an affect on peoples weight in general because families are not encouraged to do outdoor activities. Everything is conveniently located so you don't have to walk far to get what you want. Supermarkets are designed for people with cars who do a big weekly/monthly shop which means there is no daily trip to the shops on foot to get the fresh produce for that days evening meal. Also the fact that fast food is so readily available and has become the norm as far as planning family meals. When I was young a chippy tea was a treat which you had occassionally, all other meals were healthy home cooked versions. You can't beat your mums cooking.
Children need to be coaxed outside to play, but first we need to ensure that it is a safe environment for them. Todays society is lacking in basic respect for other people and their property. In the past when you dared give cheek to an adult they would chase after you so at least you got some exercise running away from them. Nowadays the kids just stand their ground and backchat. We need to restore discipline which will lead to children showing an interest in themselves, their health and their appearance.
My children age 4 and 8 are very aware of what they eat. they both understand the 5 a day rule and in our house find it very easy to stick to. Thay are allowed some 'fast food' as a treat but they know that it is not very often. As a parent i am overweight and put on my weight in my 20's. i therefore do not want my children to follow suit - My parents controlled what we had and if anything I believe that people find portion control hard to control and that is where part of the problem lies. Having both parents having to work also puts the child in a risk cat. as from experience from friends it is normally quick and easy junk teas that win when the parents have so little time.
Advertising fast food chains and so called healthy soft drinks should not be allowed during childrens programms. We all know who the culprits are!
My children age 4 and 8 are very aware of what they eat. they both understand the 5 a day rule and in our house find it very easy to stick to. Thay are allowed some 'fast food' as a treat but they know that it is not very often. As a parent i am overweight and put on my weight in my 20's. i therefore do not want my children to follow suit - My parents controlled what we had and if anything I believe that people find portion control hard to control and that is where part of the problem lies. Having both parents having to work also puts the child in a risk cat. as from experience from friends it is normally quick and easy junk teas that win when the parents have so little time.
Advertising fast food chains and so called healthy soft drinks should not be allowed during childrens programms. We all know who the culprits are!
I have read many postings and i think its very easy to blame the parents or the govenment or school dinners or this and that, but in fact its not as easy as all that. The problem is its a combination of factors that start with a major lack of the right kind of education. I totally agree fast food has started the obesity epedemic all over the world where fast goes the population grows. However some where in the last 30 years we have stopped cooking and eating food that does not come in a packet.
Govenment cut backs have taking the cooks out of school kitchens and replaced them with microwaves and people that can reheat things. Thankfull this is slowly being reversed but this process should be speeded up considerably. When i was a child we could have a salad the menu was set you had to have a meat, a carb and a veg. there was no child allowed to have pasta, chips and bread for there lunch which i have seen with my own eyes at my local school and the dinner lady that served that said its there choice. This is why my children have a packed lunch becuase the school dinners are not only discusting, they are never what they are suposed to be and the people serving them do not care if the child is getting a balanced meal or not. This is probably not true for all school but here where i live it is the case.
Then we have food manufacturers sticking loads of chemical additives to preserve, enhasnce and flavour our food, We are not made of chemicals and these things cause untold damage to our bodies. There are to many carbohydrate sweet and salty snacks on the market and if i had my way i would ban the lot I see kids in the morning buying there packet lunch and its full of these things they have zero nutritional value and society wonder why these kids are over weight.
As for parents they do play their part but im appalled with the media and goverment with the way they are singling out parents of obese children and having talkes about whether its abuse or not. There is not one reason why these children are obese its quite obvious its a combination of things
Lack of education in nutrition and cooking
media advertising of junk, fast food, sweets and chocolate, and convienced stuff, I think all food but healthy food adverts should be banned and food companies should be fined if they are found to have artifical stuff in there products. I think there should be a way fresh veg and fruit can be made cheeper.
School dinners should be controlled and balanced without the rubish and processed stuff,
I think the govenment should launch an advertising compagne to educate the public in what exactly a healthy diet is and how they can balance there diet and give tips to parents that want to more away from the junk and replace it with the good stuff.
Childhood obesity is due to diet and exercise in the majority of cases. Children do not exercise or play out like they used to, and sit around with the television and their consoles. They also eat a lot of processed and high fat food because it is cheap and convenient for parents to prepare.
Basically they eat too many calories and don't burn them off.
As a parent to children with very sweet teeth, i have found that saying "No", doesnt harm our children, and encourages them to question your motives and then to influence their when they have a choice and we have less influence.
Eating sweets before meals, and every day on the way home from school, creates a pattern which can continue on and on.
We as a family love chocolate, but reserve it as a treat rather than the norm.
I was at a single sex secondary school between 1968 & 1975. We had cookery lessons in our third year, and then carried it on if we chose it for O level. My daughter is just finishing her third year of co-educational secondary school. She has had 3 lots of half a term of food technology. Was the name changed because boys wouldn't tolerate cookery lessons? I think it's a real shame because cooking is something that happens in the home whereas technology conjures up images of laboratories, machines and factories. In other words it normalises eating processed food, which isn't as healthy as eating fresh food as it generally has high quantities of fat, salt and sugar (they have to make poor quality ingredients taste of something).
I have four children, all now teenagers.Two boys two girls. Both girls when they were about 9 carried more weight than the boys ever did despite the same meals and levels of activity. However puberty and the growth spurt that came with it has seen them develope into slim and fit healthy young women. I do think that we have to recognise that some variation in weight is gender and developement related. As far as children young people's activity levels are concerned we live in a rural aea with no public transport after 18.00 hrs. My children have to walk to do other things( visit friends etc) I always encouraged this, however in 2004 while my eldest son was walking to visit a friend a he was in collision with the vehicle of a speeding driver and was killed. We need to ensure that whatever we encourage our children to do they are safe and that the law is enforced to the enth degree to create a safe environment in which that activity takes place.
I agree with Jo and other similar posts.
Everything in moderation, as long as you stick to the basic natural ingredients and forget about artificial sweetners, colourings and flavours. The market place is flooded with chemicals in our food, so parents should go back to basics and teach their children from a young age to Eat Food in stead of Chemicals, to stop sitting in front of TV's/Games and get out get some fresh air and let the muscles work a bit.
Parents seem to follow the main stream of media influence and by that creating problems for their soon to be teens. Parents of young children should never give up on introducing new fresh tastes to their young ones. Find a way of preparing food that is tasty and acceptable for young tastebuds.
Todlers should not know about salt intake, sugar intake, fat intake! If they are taught to eat properly, enjoy food but not over indulge, a good healthy tasty meal will always win.
It is still up to the parents in any culture and society to protect their children, and that also include what they eat and drink.
I see several children in my sons class of 10 year olds who I would regard as obese - 2 morbidly obese ! One girl who is very overweight also has a brother who is only 8 and also morbidly obese - as her parents are ! Her parents are responsible and need to take charge of the situation now . I class this as child neglect as much as undernorishment !
I think there are many more overweight children at primary school now than there were 30 years ago when I was there. Also children do not walk to school , do less exercise at school and spend most of their free time indoors watching tv or playing video games.
food high in fat, salt and additives are cheaper than fresh meat , fruit and vegetables - please make health food cheape
In this part of Lincolnshire there are still no school meals in Primary Schools which means day after day children are sent to school with a packed lunch. Peer pressure then takes over as children want to have the same types of foods as their friends. The other contributing factor seems to be that children don't play out like they used to. Hours and hours are spent in the house on one type of game console or another. If children were out there burning up the calories with exercise they wouldn't be obese. Finally, I do believe that there is a genetic predisposition towards some children putting on weight. I have two boys one who is very thin and eats when he is hungry and stops when he is full and the other who although not obese needs to be more closely monitored as he is constantly hungry, has an appetite as big as and adults and could very easily slip into the obese category.
Parents should lead by example, by eating healthy balanced meals themselves, and providing the same for their children. Eating all meals together at the dining table, whenever possible, not in front of the TV. Basically a return to what are seen as old fashioned habits. When it comes to pester power, just say NO. It's hard, but it works. Treat foods(chips,burgers etc), once a week, with portion control.
I certainly think that the level of obese chilren has sky-rocketed since I was a child. It was really quite rare to see a fat child then; now fat children are commomplace. People seem to be more poorly educated about the contents of the 'food' they & their children are consuming. Aspartame litters the ingredients lists of most, so-called, own brand healthy living lines. How the Hell anyone can call that vile neurotoxin 'healthy living' is beyond me. I think everyone needs to get back to basics. Vegetables, a modicum of meat & whole grains / pulses (all organic of course). A lot of obesity problems stem from the build up of toxins in the body, created by pesticides, artificial additives, etc.
People look at me when I stand in the aisle of a shop, laughing at the ingredients list of one product or another. The sad thing is, although I am quite well educated about food intake, my son continues to demand crap on his plate, even though I explain to him the folly of drinking blue pop & eating economy hot dogs. He knows all the cons (& is an avid Gillian McKeith watcher) yet still chooses to choose the diabolical alternative to nutritious fodder.
Many people comment on the high incidence of cancers in our society nowadays, blaming pylons, nuclear power stations, fillings, computers, etc. Yes - all well & good, they could very well have a valid point. But t
hese things are nothing compared to the carcinogenic effects of a substandard diet.
On a finishing note, it mentions the BMI scale at the top of this page, as a valid way of measuring obesity. Surely, the medical profession & all concerned with dietary habits must by now know that this scale is unreliable in the extreme. It is no indicator of body fat content. A lot of people have a high muscle content, which weighs substantially more than blubber. According to all the BMI, etc. charts, I am clinically obese. I am 42 yrs old, have a muscle content of over 40% & a body fat level of 19%. My brother was refused an operation, as he is along the same lines. I really feel it's time we stopped living in the dark ages, as far as our bodies are concerned; when will we wake up & realise, the absolute miracle we have been granted in the shape of our bodily machine. I would no sooner drink a tin of blue pop, than stick an HIV infected needle in my eye.
I don't think any person has a God given right to judge another, but, on the other hand, we must preserve this wonderful evolution, that is us. Rise up against the huge companies who tell us 'healthy living', 'good for you', etc. & tell them 'NO'. Our children deserve to be presented with a healthy alternative & an educated choice when it comes to servicing & fuelling their own mini-miracle.
I thank you for listening.
Aphrodite -x-
I think half of the problem these days is dare I say it parenting. I am a mother to three children and I can see how lifestyles have changed to a point where being a parent is more highly criticised and a lot more difficult. Before there was no television and a mother spent all her time purely focused on husband and children. Now life is so busy with so many commitments, it is hard to match previous ways of living, hence the issues such as childhood obesity come about.
I will readily put my hands up and say when I cook in the evening my three children get one hour of television, but they are not in front of it all of the time and we lead a very active lifestyle. Lunches are bought out, and as recent research has shown, lunches not made at home can be far unhealthier- even when you think you getting the healthy options!
Not forgetting that on some occassions in between school activities and trips out with youngest in tow, to ensure a consistent routine with bedtimes, so as not to disrupt school runs in the morning, sometimes a full home cooked meal is impossible in the time left, hence a quick takeaway, or sausage and chips or something or same consequence.
Childhood obesity is becoming more obvious as children are less active, and less cared for. Allowed to do as they please and run about for themselves with far too much pocket money. Wasn't it recent polls said that pocket money had risen to @£10 per week and that most of this went on sweets, and that wasn't counting the school dinner monies for school during the week.
We as parents need to take more responsibility and I know some will shout at me for this post, and those that do are probably doing it in a way considered the right way and getting a good balance of healthy living including food and exercise - letting children be children run about and explore not sit infront of the playstation all day.
We live in a world where children are influenced by so many factors, far more than when we were kids. Parents have a massive responsibility to encourage healthy eating and not to cop out on fast foods. Ofcourse, there are many pressures on parents too, not least the need for two income families.
Obesity is the other end of the scale from other equally worrying eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia and any approach to the subject in an intensely peer pressure driven environment must be carefully measured. Common sense is the order of the day, the odd treat such as MacDonalds or Burger King will not ruin your child's diet. Variety is the spice of life and introducing your child to eat different foods must be beneficial. My daughter first ate out in non English restaurants when she was three and she has always had a wide range of likes, despite the inevitable dislikes.
I have never let my daughter off with not trying something at least once and as they grow older, their preferences alter. Replacing sweets and biscuits with fresh fruit and healthier options is a must. My daughter likes more raw vegetables than cooked ones! Us adults have to lead by example and the importance of the family eating together cannot be ignored.
I believe that children need to learn how to prepare their own food at an early age - as safe as they can participate guided by either mum or dad. The more they know about what they eat the greater interest they have in their own health.
Although school has a role to play in food education and healthy eating - not least through good quality, nutritionally balanced school meals - parents must take the lead at home. With eating behaviour and discipline alike, the buck stops with the people who brought them into the world.
I had two children (both are grown up now). One was overweight, the other one wasn't. Both my husband and myself were of average weight. I could never really understand why the eldest one was obese. We all ate the same food and had similar apetites.
Today, the eldest child is till obese and the youngest one isn't.
I would add that there wasn't as much publicity about healthy eating then as there is now. Cooking has never been one of my favourite pastimes - just a necessary evil.
In school, we were always given a choice of what to make - I think I made Lemon Meringue Pie every week for a year (the packet type) and the teacher never even noticed. I didn't pick up many tips at home because my mother wasn't a good cook either.
Today, I am a bit more health conscious, although I still can't cook. My daughter is a vegetarian and loves cooking.
Balance is key. An extreme behaviour or action will have consequences.
Parents should assume responsibility for their children. Schools and government can only 'help'. After all, a child only sees a teacher or a health professional for a very small percentage of their life. Hopefully they will spend many years with their parents.
Achieving a happy and healthy balance is often difficult but it is worth trying at all times.
I know that my son and my niece and nephew have never been heavy. I personally think that given the right environment to grow up in, limited access to video games/t.v and p.c's all contributes to a lazy attitude. However on average children are not able to play out as much as i did as a child.
I do think that schools should encourage more active games and stop being afraid of competiveness or social standing or race or religion!
The parents/schools and society should all work together to give our children the chance to have an active, healthy lifestyle and stop the rot. Fast food and soft drink adverts should be shown after the watershed. The chocolate cereal adverts and sweet adverts must be some of the worse. My son is only allowed limited sweet stuff and accepts that - although not always happily.
I was a fat child, and am a fat adult. I feel strongly that my attitudes to food and eating were and are influenced by my parents and THEIR experiences.
My mother grew up in the 1920's and 30's, her father was out of work for the majority of that time and food was scarce. One of my mothers enduring memories of childhood are the threat of the workhouse, Daily Mail boots and being so malnourished she had free school meals (a rare and unusual occurence then)
My father became an orphan aged 12. Up to that point he was well fed, well clothed and happy. After that he starved throughout his teenage years until he joined the RAF in 1943. Captured in Burma, he was then a Jap POW.
Both of my parents vowed never to feel hungry again, and that under no circumstances would their children feel the hunger they did.
It was a source of pride for my parents that, aged 5, I could eat an adult portion of food. So not only was food a reward, I was praised for eating obviously too much. I was ashamed of my body aged 5 (and still am) but food (and in quantity) is still something that comforts me.
In a nation where food, both good and bad, is easily available; cooking from scratch is seen as inconvenient; sweets etc. are seen as a way of quitening apparently inconvenient children; junk food is portrayed not as a treat but an essential mainstay of family life, "fat kids" are on a hiding to nothing.
Some solutions?
Education: a "fat tax" on the unhealthiest of foodswhich would provide funding of specialist PE teachers, adn each school day having at least 30 minutes of such activity; home-economics being re-introduced for EVERY child so that they can not only learn to cook, enjoy cooking, but can create a varied and healthy diet for themselves.Proper funding and promotion of grass roots level sports for children and adults.
Fiscal & regulatory: As mentioned above, a "fat tax" based upon the percentage 100g of a products content of all fats. As sugar is another main contributor, a sugar tax on the same principle. The banning of the use of hydrogenated or "trans-fats" in all foods. The reveue from these to fund the measures mentioned above.
I honestly think parents are sometimes too hard on themselves when it is not necessary. There are so many reasons why children may be overweight and sometimes it is a combination of factors which are responsible.
The gene factor needs to be taken into account in a lot of instances. This is not meant to be an excuse but explains the phenomenon of why some children are simply naturally overweight and conversly underweight.
There are of course numerous instances when children are over-fed or fed an inappropriate diet; it is in these instances that parents need to sit up and give account for what they are doing to their children.
Advertising I believe only has a minimal effect on children and seeks to increase the pester power but then simply taking children to the supermarket would then be a risk to their health given the volume of subliminal messages they receive whilst walking the isles.
It is important that all parents take their individual cases into account; seek the root cause and deal with it either through professional help or through developing better regimes of eating habits, nutrition, exercise etc. Not for a moment should we assume that if a child is overweight it's because they are over-fed or are prone to poor parenting. Each case has to be taken on merit.
I am 52 years of age and am late-onset insulin-dependent diabetic. Despite having been active in sports my whole life, I am now considerably overweight (at least 2 stone). My young children (9 and 7), on the other hand, remain slim and my wife and I are vigilant about their food intake and ensure they lead relatively active lives. They do not watch a great deal of television, nor spend much time at computer terminals. This is not something we force on them, rather it is something we have been training them for all of their lives. And this is only partly related to concerns that they could be predisposed to diabetes in later life.
Unfortunately, it is all too easy nowadays to blame someone else. But the key to dealing with childhood obesity starts with the role of parents: setting the right kind of example, and encouraging activities and healthy diets. More fruit and vegetables is key. More sports and regular play with other kids helps. Those parents who blame advertising need to take a look at their own culpability, and learn to say "no" to their kids from time to time. Moderation in ALL things is a good philosophy. Pester power only works on weak parents who are unwilling to play the role of the adult in the relationship.
Thankfully my children had no problems with obesity and I think genetic factors played an important role because as a family and I can trace mine back four generations, we are all basically slim.
Yes, bad feeding habits will affect those predisposed to weight gain and since cookery lesson were abandoned in schools, many parents haven't a clue how to cook or what to cook!
I think the problem with obese children can not be tied to just one factor. There are many different reasons why a child maybe overweight. I have to say though adertising and fast food companies are getting better at promoting the heathier options but at the end of the day it is down to the parents. I am a mother of 2 and as all parents do, I buy the weekly shopping and choose what they eat, not them! My children do have biscuits and crisp...occasionally sweets & chocolate. We do tend to have fast food at weekends...but both my children are a normal weight, because we limit how much unheatly food they eat. Any child given a free range on what they want to eat is obviously going to choose sweets and chocolate! Parents have to be strict and not let child dictate to them. i do have the problem where I have one child who will eat anything and the other will only eat about 5 different foods!! Luckily the foods she does eat are fruit, veg, dairy and meat so covers abit of everything.
I do understand that some children's obesity is down to medical reasons but I do believe that 90% of child obesity it down to diet alone and can easily be changed.
I voted for family issues as a reason for obesity (as did nearly half who voted) and I'd like to link that to what Julie Brannan said. We live in a village with a reasonably sized school, and I'd say that a lot of the people here are fairly affluent. The kids at the school seem to me to be normal in terms of weight etc., and generally look healthy & happy. Where I work is close to a less affluent area on the edge of a city. I sometimes pop over to the local shopping area at lunchtime, and have been aware - because of the contrast - that a lot of the kids seem to be carrying more weight. I know it's not scientific, but I've definitely noticed it.
Our little boy and his two cousins - who are aged within a year of each other - are all about the right weight for their heights. They come with us on frequent walks, play together often, do not eat much in the way of junk food - perhaps the odd slice of pizza - but usually have plenty of fresh fruit & veg, smoothies, milk and water. We're lucky as we can afford these things, but also, we were brought up on a similar diet (perhaps not the smoothies). Exercise & good food seem to do the trick, but these things have to be made available to all.
As a child we didnt have sweets etc like todays youth. We were however fed too well, to the point we had to eat everything on our plates otherwise we could not leave the table. As we never sat as a family - us kids had to eat at the kitchen table whilst our parents eat in front of the TV. We did put lots of food into bags and hid them just so as not to eat it all, our stomachs used to hurt from the amount of food we were given.
I still have a weight problem and its been very difficult all my life to rid myself of the unwanted pounds. It does have an effect on kids.
Yet my granddaughter (5) is so fussy with her food its ridiculous, the toast if its the wrong colour she wont eat it, or butter, she seems to go on the packaging, if its not right she wont touch it. Even chocolate and sweets. Crazy. Yet when I was a kid you got one bag of sweets a WEEK, this was brought round by the grandparents. We had to make it last as there would be no more till he next time.
I do lay a lot of blame at the door of the fast food joints. This teaches kids to be fussy. My kids went to a restaurant rarely but when we did, they had good manners and ate everything, no fuss, no problems.
We should stop all this bad fast food junk, parents should cook homemade meals, treat the kids rarely. the maybe we can start to have our healthy kids again.
Friday night only as treat nite on a monthly basis.
I was an obese child myself - and have been an obese adult most of my adult life; I overate as a child because I found it comforted me when I wasn't getting on with my parents, grandparents (who lived with us through much of my childhood), teachers and schoolmates. Also, I had no interest in or ability to play sports, which meant effectively that I took little or no exercise. Food is much more easily available now (when I was born, rationing was still in force), and that must make comfort eating much easier.
I suspect I was more unhappy than most at school (my own recent researches incline me to think that today I might have been regarded as "borderline autistic" - but there was no such condition in the 1950s, as far as I am aware) but I still think there wewre - and are - plenty unhappy enough to become addicrted to comfort eating.
I do believe that there is a problem with weight in this country - the number of overweight children I see on a beach when we go there is growing all the time. When I was a child it was unusual - now it is more unusual to see a child who is just right for their age.
There are a lot of things which are contributing to this - lack of exercise and poor diet are probably the most telling. Lack of exercise doesn't just mean watching TV all the time - it is also exacerbated by the paranoia of many parents with regard to paedophiles etc who don't let their children walk to school or cycle anywhere.
You don't often see children out playing nowadays - when I was younger we were out most of the time if the weather was good. Meals were home cooked from fresh ingredients and we all ate together.
Parents have to take responsibility for their children's health - they buy the food so it is up to them to make sure that they make the right choices. Not putting too much on their plates is a sensible option as well.
I have three children - my eldest struggles with his weight mainly because he doesn't do enough exercise ( he is now 24). My youngest two are 5 and 3 - the 5 year old is a little livewire and never gains weight. My 3 year old is OK for her age but doesn't always want to eat things that are the healthiest option. They have all been brought up to eat healthily and been given plenty of options for what they eat. We rarely have crisps, sweets or biscuits. They actually prefer to eat fruit and drink water, but still my eldest struggles.
I do not think putting children on diets is the answer though - most foods are OK in moderation. Children just need guidance on the type of food they should eat and the amount - they also need encouragement to exercise - or just need to go out and play! If this happens the problem will solve itself.
hello all,
i think it is up to the parents to provide a healthy diet and exercise, and to set a good example to their children.
i am a childminder, we walk to and from school each day (1/2mile each way), the children play outside as much as they can regardless of the weather, and i only offer healthy food and snacks. our local school has a healthy eating policy and the children are very keen to be fit & healthy. we do yummy food and biscuits etc, but they are ones i make, so i know what the children are eating.
i think you have to be careful not to 'ban' all junk food, otherwise as a child grows up and can choose for themselves what they want to eat, sweets/crisps and junk are what they will make a beeline for, having been denied it as a child. (i will always eat sweets and i'm sure that is due to not having them as a child, but i'm able to control how many i eat!)
Sarah M | 23/07/2007 17:10:00It started with midwives and health visitors -is your baby putting on enough weight? So with my third I was bullied into complimentary bottle feeding as my breastfeeding 'wasn't good enough' I have two children who are normal weight the third was skinny and a fussy eater until we found that he was coeliac -yes I blame myself for weakly giving in to the bullying and not making sure he got what I knew was best. He is still skinny but his height has now exceeded normal for where he was when we found out.
My point is that we all started off with our parenting being judged on how much weight we put on our children and made to worry about it, what can they expect after that?
I agree with the less exercise, more TV and just sitting and junk food availability and comfort food ideas as well. I also feel that although it is a growing(sorry, couldn't resist that) problem it doesn't seem as bad as media scares would have us believe as Julie said right at the beginning.
I hate the way you lift a magazine or turn on the telly and it's all about being overweight. Yes I am slightly over weight but the media are making people like me feel I don't fit into society - so many women's mags only feature skinny models - and it makes us feel outcasts and ugly. All this talk about obese children will make them feel the same. Firstly I blame the fact that I believe it costs more to feed a family on all healthy foods unless they eat like rabbits. 2nd there is so much hype about fast food restaurants that todays children don't want to go to somewhere else. I think the government should subsidize places to make healthy food more affordable, and restaurants should encourage a wider range of food. I hate all the bad coverage about kids not all being an average size. We are all individuals, all shapes and sizes and being too thin can be as much as a problem. Many kids just have puppy fat which disappears as they get older but with all the talk in the media about obesity it is leading to more bullying. Don't penalise and treat overweight folk as outcasts, give us more affordable and more choices in food and then let us be ourselves, whatever we are or whatever we look like. I think too much hype on children's sizes will lead to more anorexia cases or suicides. Teenage years are hard enough. You may end up with a nation of perfect sized people but at what cost? I think you can educate people more about health and types of food but don't make such a huge issue out of it.
I can't understand how people think it's cheaper to eat junk food than buy fresh veg, fruit & meat. We don't eat large portions of meat so perhaps that's a reason, but we eat meat or fish most evenings. If you're in the habit of cooking proper food then you soon work out meals that are quick & healthy. Also you can let your oven or slow cooker do everything while you all do something else.
I am seeing a lot of overweight children around these days, and usually accompanied by overweight family members. It's cruel for kids to be like this, you can see they have difficulties with their mobility - walking, running, chests overexpanded and discomfort in the tight lower back area which is compensating for excess weight in the abdomen. Look at the shoes to see how the ankles are rotating inward to balance the body out and they have little energy or ease of movement.
I agree that it's a diet with many additives, chemicals and artificial fats & sweeteners that is stopping the body from using the food properly.
We have never referred to food like McDonalds or sweets as a treat or reward, it's just food or often "rubbish"! Mummy, can we have some rubbish today?!! And we've told the grandparents to try to remember that too. We avoid artificial sweeteners as I feel sure that this is a subject that will be exposed for the conspiracy of silence for the sake of economics that it is. I use sugar in baking and real butter, so much tastier, and it doesn't happen every day. Thankfully my kids are mad about fruit and love just about all vegetables, one loves meat , the other can take it or leave it. They were raised on home cooking from the womb, & I have fun making up their lunchboxes so that's their experience.
I think it's because my kids don't have to make an effort to lug their bodies around that they happily flit from activity to TV back to activity, so they're not couch potatoes and I don't have to impose a balance for them. Less fights!
Hi,
My elder daughter started putting on weight when she started secondary school.
She became less active because of a medical condition and comfort ate because she was depressed.
She has recently been diagnosed with an underactive thyroid and diabetes.
We assumed we knew the reason for her weight gain but were wrong.
Don't overlook other possibilities, keep an open mind.
Kate
I have probably always been overweight and now am an obese adult. I was brought up with food as a reward, encouraged to clear my plate and all those things which we are now considered inappropriate.
I have two children, who are both in their mid teens and they are both very slim, one because he takes part in lots and lots of sport and the other because she watches what she eats. Despite encouragement she does not enjoy sport or being particularly active. I think encouraging children to make healthy food choices is important but it's also important to encourage a healthy/active lifestyle.
I have four children and only one of them is slightly plump ,he has just turned 13 so he has plenty growing to do yet.
I can only speak from my own experiences ,but i know that when i had less money i was more careful in my choice of foods and went for the healthy option ie bulking up meals with veg etc.
I still buy all the healthy foods but then throw in all the rubbish foods like cakes,crisps ,choc .....mainly because i have the extra money .
When i had my first child we didnt have all the games systems ,dvd players ,comp etc and we were more inclined to go out and do outdoor activities and my eldest spent most of time outside playing ..burning off calories.
My children went to school dinners till i found out they were taking the junk food option ..i now have them home for lunch..this is ok for me as i am at home and the school is near .
At our local primary school children that are over weight can opt out of sports day ..now that is madness .
I think we should educate people to take childhood obesity very serious ...we need to educate from the word go ..when a woman becomes pregnant and then follow through the different stages of the childs life.
I have watched my father suffer from weight related conditions and more recently watch him go through a triple heart by pass ..why would you want this type of future for your kids ..wake up that what i say ..change now .save your childs life
My son is a product of my poor lifestyle, it crept up on me really. He is not obese but he is overweight. I hold down 2 jobs and grab food frequently from the take away.
To try and rectify things we have started to go for walks as a family, I bought him a trampoline instead of a playstation three and we have tried to cut down the take aways to one night a week.
I dont think that advertising has a huge impact on us, I think we are intelligent enough to see campaigns for what they are.
We are to blame!
I would like to see more healthy choices at take aways and fast food outlets, admittedly the choices at supermarket cafes are fairly poor too and unfortunately very busy people often revert to these places.
Most of the diet issues in our area are ingrained through over 3 generations of deprevation and head burying. I think even Jamie Oliver would find difficulty braking the eating habits up here but continued education programmes in schools and youth clubs are certainly helping...
I do think that fast-food advertising influences children's eating habits, but it is totally up to the parents to monitor what their children are consuming. If given the chance, kids would eat junk all day, and we know it! My 11 month old son is over-weight already, he weighs 30 lbs. and is bigger than his 2 yr. old brother. I honestly don't know why he gained so much weight so fast, he was fed just the same as my 2 yr. old. The Dr. put him on a diet, he is only allowed no more than 30 ozs. of fluid a day, and I follow it religiously. I also think genes may play a role in weight gain, since most of my family have been overweight their whole lives, and have tried dieting without any real results. I myself am not overweight, but I have seen what children go through in school, at the mercy of other children teasing them, so I am going to take every measure to ensure my children do not have to endure that. Not only for their health, but also to protect them from the cruel teasing as well.
I have to say that, generally, as a nation, we are becoming fatter. When I, or my older children were at school, it was unusual for children - especially girls - to be overweight. It is accepted nowadays for children to be fat - bellies hanging out under short tops and over low cut jeans! Fast food, with no thought about what goes into it, lack of education about nutrition and our faster "get it quick" way of life doesn't help. We never had ready meals.We have more money to spend and we are spending it on making our children unhealthy. It is not kind to buy a takeaway for a child and not spend the time to prepare a healthy meal. This is not limited to children and more and more we see "fat families", passing bad eating habits down through the generations. The only way not to be fat is not to eat so much and to think about what you are eating - in extreme cases, I agree that letting your child become obese is neglectful and a form of abuse.
I do not believe that children tell the parents what they are eating or where they are going and what time they will be back, (if a time is even given!) A child is born and a parent shows that child the `right way` in life. i have watched programmes where parents give in to the children and allow them what they want, what planet do these parents live on? have you ever heard of a `healthy child is a happy child?`
My children all walk to school, (about a mile each way, Uphill on way there!) One has a paperound after school, One goes boxing twice a week, one at football three times a week. They are never still, and are always out and about doing something! There diet could be a improved a somewhat, but while they excersize as much as they do i dont fuss too much about it. They are all in the `correct manufactured size` clothing and are extremly happy. there s always something you can do to help your child, that you will both enjoy, but you got to get away from the daily grind of XBox, and sweets! when my children started football, i did a coaching course and i am now a FA Level 1 coach!
And dont even begin to say due to work commitments you haven`t got the time, make time! this is your childs future, and i`m sure your parents wanted the best for you as you do for them!
So come on parents if you have a obese child, get him/her off that chair and show them what can be achieved! do it together, as a family should do!
I think we as parents should are the best example for our children. What they see us doing is usually what they will do. If we can show them how to have an active healthy lifestyle, they will most likley follow our example. The younger the child is when we start, the better, but it is never too late to change.
Television may influence what a child wants to eat, but we as parents have the power to control what is available to them. If we keep the house stocked with healthy food, there will be only good choices. If we buy junk food, of course our children will want that! There are not many people who have the will power to grab an apple instead of chocolate cake if both are available.
I have two children and have worked with children all my career. Children are getting bigger but so are their parents.
Children are brought up needing instant reward by electronic gadgets, quick rushes by sugars and additives and poor parenting - befriending rather than caring. they are not allowed to walk to school for papanoia fear of being abducted. We also live in a society that does not covert and treasure their children - it wants them to be quiet and out of the way - we are incredibly unchildfrienly in this country unlike europe who dote and welcome children.
My daughter is obsessive about her food and can't let a piece of anything sweet sit in the kitchen she has to have it. i understand this as i know she has learnt it from me. i have been diagnosed with a compulsive eating disorder and if as a baby she cried she had a bottle rammed in her mouth to quiten her - i trained her to be like that. without my family living near by and no expereince of babies i didn't know what to do otherwise. my son is completely different as a second baby, he was breast fed as i didn't rush back to work but stayed at home, he was fed when he used his hungry cry and has continued this into his life - he can forget that cake and it doesn't bother him at all. he's slim and looks like a misfit in our family of biggies. doctors write me off as a naurotic when i ask for help for my daughter and her eating - they think i am making up the fact she is obsessed to the point of stealing food and hoarding it. they gave me some crap leaflets about 5-a-day.
i do not buy food if it contains ingrediants i can't pronounce, cook things from fresh not ready made meals and jars and if i go shopping with a list i can buy cheaper using organic foods instead of bargin crap stuff - none of that however has altered the fact that my family is large.
i would also like to challenge the idea that fat only means unfit. i am size 26 and at my local aerobic class can wipe the skinny ones under the table.
i agree with the poster above me who feels the constant pressure of in-laws to put their children on a diet. my mother in law doesn't care if my daughter is in the room before making rude comments and putting her down for her weight. i have spoken to her about it and yet she continues to do so.
my daugher already has a poor self image of her self and has asked me about diets. i do my best to nuture her self-esteem and show her how to eat healthy - now i know what damage that bottle feeding did to her alongside my own issues - i have tried to not make a big deal of anything. i am trying to teach her to slow down and allow time to listen to what her body is telling her. I have learnt to listen and it actually tells me that i prefer to eat fruit and veg and the crap doesn't appeal - but when we give into the life lessons of highs and cravings of the crap we crumble and binge. Deprivation of anything a complusive person wants leads to high binges.
our society and especially government needs to wake up to the damage diets do to our lives. the statistics are so obvious that they fail everyone. stop dieting and you stop getting fatter and fatter and fatter. eat what your body tells you and you'll lose weight. put daily exercise on at school and tell parents the real truth about children being molested - your family and friends are more likely than the stranger down the road - so let these kids get out and ride bikes and walk to school. stop pressuring parents to run back to work because of high mortages and give new mums real help with their babies not monetry one offs.
Both my children were fed proper food from a very early age. The occasional treat of fast food was acceptable. They are now 12 & 18 years old. Slim, athletic and enjoy a healthy life style. The parents are the ones responsible, for their childrens well being. So lets educate them. It is more expensive to eat fast food than it is to have a proper meal with fresh ingredients.
When I was growing up, we only had tv, but we were only allowed to watch it at certain times. We spent an awful lot of time outside - playing with the neighborhood kids, riding bicycles, playing ball, etc. From what I remember, obese children were almost non-existant. There were a few, but not enough to fill up the fingers on one hand.
As time progressed, over the years, the number of adults and children who are obese has really been on the rise. I can think of many reasons for this. Let's start with children who are pudgy or overweight: 1. They sit at computers, games or television in stead of getting physical exercise like we used to do. 2. Most kids nowdays do not have a number of chores to do - feed the chickens, slop the hogs, milk the cows, pick the beans in the garden, etc. 3. A lot of children are taught that food is good for them, even if it is fast food and junk. Through lack of parental control these days, parents are not watching what their children eat, i.e., chips while watching tv, microwave dinners, tv dinners, frozen sandwiches, etc. 4. Yes, my mother used to cook meals from scratch. I also cook most of my meals from scratch. When we go out to eat, we try to pick things from the menu that we CAN eat - vegetables, fruit, salad, and a simple meat - steak, fish, chicken, etc.
I feel the adults have a lot to do with the size of their children, as well as, themselves. I wonder if some of the larger people see themselves as others see them? If they did, they would be in a hurry to change the physical appearance.
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