Arguments On Childhood Obesity

As the government becomes more aware of the serious problem of childhood obesity, schools in the UK are now planning to weigh and measure all children at the ages of 4-5, when they start primary school and again at 10-11, when they are about to leave for secondary education. This problem is something which is already being carried out in the US, but the question is how effective it is.

There are many arguments that obese children will be stigmatized and that this will increase bullying, as well as leading to an increased number of children suffering from eating disorders in the future. A number of people In addition, feel that parents should be able to tell that their child is overweight and that the money could be put to better use by doing something to help change the situation. Being parents, most of the people ask what they can do to help their children keep their weight under control. It is very important to be aware of the feelings of the children; if they are being bullied at school, parents need to be sure they are not feeling “got at" at home by nagging parents, which will only increase feelings of isolation and failure.

Parents can set a good instance by providing healthy nutritious meals and not eating junk food themselves, but it is important to allow some treats, as being over strict is likely to cause friction and could be counterproductive. If the whole family learns about healthy nutritious eating and try cooking new healthy recipes together, kids won't feel they are being singled out. It is also very essential not to focus too much on food. Although it is an important part of life and can never be avoided, it should not be made the main topic of discussion in the family. If the obese children are constantly reminded of their weight and what overeating can do to them, they could develop an unhealthy attitude towards food. So the parents must be sure to focus on other things, particularly areas of life which are not stressful and which their child enjoys.

People might believe that children eat no more calories than children 20 years ago. The fact is that, the increasing obesity rates are likely due to a combination of changes in both eating and exercise habits. Although the increase in caloric consumption has been difficult to define due to imperfect assessment methods, it has become very clear that children eat much more processed starch and sugar especially in the form of soda and other sugary drinks than in previous decades. Commonly, the foods that are greatly increasing are the ones that are heavily marketed to children. People might also believe that children's food and beverage preferences do not influence the foods that children eat; however, the large dollar amount spent by the food and beverage industry on advertising such products to children argues strongly against this notion. Parents often need to compromise or negotiate with children in regard to their food intake, and teenagers certainly make many of their own food-purchasing decisions on the basis of, in part, advertising. Marketing food and high calorie beverages to children dramatically skews their nutrition for the worse.

• Emma Bullock
• 11/02/2009, 10:59 PM
• 0 Comments