Cause of childhood obesity

2009-06-01T08:34:00.000-07:00

Causes of childhood obesity

The UK government finally admits....Most children in Britain are not doing enough exercise to keep themselves healthy and prevent obesity. That didn't really take a lot of working out!

Over 260,000 people in England responded to the poll for the official Change4Life campaign, which suggests (rather than "concludes) that children are leading increasingly sedentary and less active lifestyles. Again, it didn't really take a lot of thinking about, did it?

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last ten years, you've only got to look at the deserted open spaces, the poorly attended sports facilities and the volume of sales of Playstation type games to realise that we're arriving at "Crisis Junction" as far as child obesity is concerned. The causes of childhood obesity are clear for all to see.

The report showed nearly three-quarters of children do not take part in the recommended hour of daily activity outside school.

Children are undoubtedly less active both before and after school, with far too many youngsters watching TV or playing non-active video games.

The Change4Life campaign was launched in January to tackle soaring rates of obesity by promoting exercise and healthy eating.

Dawn Primarolo, the UK Public Health Minister, said that the survey “shows that kids just aren't getting up and about as much as they should”.

“If we’re going to cut obesity levels, our children need to be active for at least 60 minutes a day," she said. “By eating better and moving more, we can all live longer and have healthier lives"

Ian Campbell, medical director of the charity Weight Concern, said it was vital for parents to lead by example.

More exercise benefits us all. For most children, obesity is entirely preventable and an active life starts at home. Or preferably in the garden.

Unless we do something to make play more enjoyable then the kids are not going to get the balance right between energy going in and energy going out.

However, it is a huge challenge to come up with ways to make physical activity more fun, something that children’s imaginations can latch on to.

Causes of childhood obesity are very clear - but we now need to do something about the problem
Peter Abbott has helped thousands of families tackle the distressing issue of children and obesity. His website at http://www.children-and-obesity.com will provide parents with a guaranteed solution to the "single greatest tragedy facing our society today" (Former President Bill Clinton)