It is a worrying situation that the problem of obesity among children in America has now moved to children in United Kingdom. This trend is dangerous and harmful to children and need to be addressed promptly and robustly before it is too late.
The World Health Organisation ranks childhood obesity as one of the most serious global public health challenges of the 21st century – but the UK is lagging behind with its response. On average across the UK, almost one quarter of children are overweight or obese by the time they start school.
Obese children are at greater risk of conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure, and of heart disease and stroke as they get older. Obesity in childhood can contribute to behavioural and emotional difficulties like depression, and reduce educational attainment.
Obese children are more likely to need medical care and days off school as a result of illness. Excess consumption of sugar is damaging children’s teeth, with extractions the most common reason for 5-9 year-olds in England to be admitted to hospital
Here are some tips to help your child get active:
- Try building activity into everyday life, such as walking or cycling to school and using stairs instead of the lift and involve your children in family jobs, such as walking the dog, washing the car or some gardening.
- Encourage your child to join classes or clubs for activities they enjoy, such as dancing, swimming or football.
- Cut down on the amount of time your child spends watching television or using a computer. Try to limit this to less than two hours a day or 14 hours a week.
- Make sure your child gets enough sleep – increasing physical exercise can help with this.
Children are growing up in a society in which we have made it easiest and cheapest to buy foods high in fat, sugar and salt. Our portion sizes are out of control.
We haven’t been cooking from scratch enough. For too long, we failed to teach children how to cook and since the National Curriculum changed to require practical cooking until Key Stage 3, there has been no evaluation of the impact of that change.
Children are exposed to advertising for junk food in all sorts of places and well as tthe pricing and placement of less healthy food in retail – and, conversely, the pricing and placement of healthier foods – make it more difficult to resist pester power and impulse purchasing.
Now is time for the government, health authorities, community and parents to tackle this child obesity menace.
Baldev Sharma
By email
