Our Kids go Large
Parent blamed as obesity rockets
BRITAIN'S parents were blasted by health experts yesterday for letting the child obesity epidemic spiral out of control.
 Shocking new figures showed a THIRD of kids are obese or overweight by the age of 11. Medics placed the blame on poor eating habits in the home kids loading up on junk food on their way to and from school. Obesity surgeon Shaw Somers said: "There is a lost generation of children who are totally uneducated when it comes to what they eat. "The responsibility must lie with parents." Tam Fry, of the Child Growth Foundation and National Obesity Forum, said that when children reach school age healthy eating "goes out of the window".
The alarming increase emerged from the National Child Measurement Programme, which looked at more than a million Reception and Year Six Children. It revealed an average 19 per cent of Year Six kids aged ten and 11 – are obese. A further 14 per cent are overweight. The obesity figure rose to 25 per cent in inner-city areas. It is feared the situation could be even worse, with many heavier kids too embarrassed to take part in the NHS measuring programme. The trend has alarmed child health specialists for the past ten years.
Telly chef Jamie Oliver tried to turn the tide with his crusade for healthy school dinners in 2005. Although it prompted the Government to pledge £280million extra funding to transform children's diets, a backlash saw the take-up of school meals drop. Rules introduced in 2009 mean school canteens must provide healthy options. But earlier this year The Sun revealed 12-year-olds in parts of Yorkshire were having trials of a gastric balloon that suppressed fast food cravings.
The health implications for overweight kids are severe. Some 82 per cent of obese children go on to be obese adults with a massive risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Tracy Parker, dietician at the British Heart Foundation, said of the findings: "This is a really sad statistic. It is a shame that even more of our children are finishing primary school obese. "We've got to realise children's food and lifestyle choices today could have long-term consequences on their future health. Kids are turning their back on fruit and veg in favour of snacks laden with fat, salt and sugar as a regular part of their daily diet." But there was one glimmer of hope. The obesity figure for four and five year olds was fractionally down from 9.9 per cent in 2007 to 9.4 per cent last year. The figures were published by the NHS Information Centre.
My View
Tam Fry Obesity expert
We are in a worse situation with schoolchildren than ever. The home environment is crucial. Under mother’s gaze, children eat well, but snacks are available on the way there. The solution is simple – there is a real need to eat less junk food and increase physical activity. Exercise should be done at school – because often for many, if it is not done there then it won’t happen at all. PE in schools is lamentable. Every primary school child should have one hour of exercise as part of their lessons every day. And school food standards must not be allowed to fall.
Shaw Somers Obesity surgeon
THIS age of convenience means children are driven to school, play on computer games and have no encouragement to get outside and run around. Children at this age are not getting the correct amount of exercise. Often I find that the patients I am treating have had an issue with food from an early age, which is why the issue needs to be addressed quickly. Children do not know what they are putting into their bodies and how this will affect their health. We need to go back to basics and educate children from an early age about the foods they are consuming and how to eat properly.
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