22% of 4-5 year olds are overweight? How?!

[changing221]

Can someone explain to me how we are living in a society of overweight 4 year olds? I'm not trying to be goady or holier than thou, I'm genuinely interested.

What is the cause of these fat 4-5 year olds??
Where is it all going wrong for these children who are now likely to be overweight or obese well in to adulthood.

FWIW I have a 4 year old. We have McDonald's takeaway regularly, sweet treats (danish, cinnamon bun, chocolate, biscuits, cake) daily. Lots of cheese and yogurt, healthy fats, jacket potatoes etc. And she's still on the 25th percentile and a string bean.

I think like obesity in adults, it’s complicated.

The kids I know who are overweight, they have overweight/obese parents. Those parents might not realise that their child is overweight when they’re as young as 4 or 5, attitudes like puppy fat, normal for little ones to have a pot belly etc are likely more common in overweight adults, as is junk food, portion size etc.

I think it’s mainly diet, the kids I know who are overweight tend to be quite active, plenty of sports clubs and running round. But they have weekly McDonald’s, other take aways, adult sized ice creams, adult portions when eating out etc. Daily treats. It all adds up.

I do think genetics has a part to play, some children are naturally string bean like and some more prone to weight gain, like adults.

My DC is in this age group and definitely snacks way too much, and a lot of the “healthy” snacks are full of sugar. I know this but we still end up buying some of these snacks (soreen bars, Organix range, raisins) because they’re easy and portable snacks for packed lunches and on the go. My DC is very active and doesn’t eat large portions at meal times, they are very slender to look at but in terms of centiles, they’re around the 60-70th so not small at all. They’re very tall with naturally very thin legs, so that’s genetics. I keep an eye on their weight and I can see how it would be easy for a parent to not realise their young child is overweight.

I think as well as the highly processed food lacking in nutrients there's also the issue of sugary drinks. I know loads of kids who drink gallons of squash, fizzy drinks smoothies etc. I keep hearing parents say "My child doesn't like water". When I was a child I had no choice but to like water. There was nothing else on offer! It's the same with my children. I give them them water and that's that. I have recently started giving my son a small glass of smoothie a day - this is simply because he's not a big fruit eater and is very skinny so I want him to have some vitamins. I worked in a school and I was appalled by some of lunchboxes. One girl only used to have 2 bags of biscuits in her lunchbox. Nothing else..

The obesity problem in this country, affecting adults and children alike, predates lockdown by decades!

I get the impression from Mumsnet that children nowadays are given a lot of say over what they eat, meals tailored to their preferences, many children who 'won't eat' this or that. That's perhaps OK if your child naturally likes a healthy and balanced diet, but many will not.

Again, going back to the 70s/80s, this just didn't happen. Your parents chose the food that went on the table, your choice as a child was 'eat it or leave it'.

Choosing your own food was a huge treat that happened once a year on your birthday.

My friends daughter overfeeds her child. She never used a child’s plate, instead filled up a normal sized dinner plate.

At 5, her breakfast was a whole tin of baked beans and two slices of buttered white bread. A “snack” between lunch and dinner was a large sausage roll from Greggs. Supper before bed was a whole linnet of raspberries.

The poor child had visible breasts at age 5. She now wears age 10 clothes, because she needs them to go round her middle. The sleeves are far too long, and are all bunched up the whole way her arms.

When my friend tried to tactfully bring this up, her DD flew off the handle. She refuses to see the obvious and totally denies the very obvious fact that her child is fat. It’s very sad.

I really think all the chemicals/plastics in our environment have done something odd to our hormones. Poor quality food doesn’t explain why women are much more likely to be overweight than men, up til middle age at least. And the male sperm count has dropped off a cliff.

Portions too big, too many carbs as a proportion of meals, "kids" food rather than proper dinners but the main reason is snacks! When I was a kid you didn't get snack between meals, now it's expected and meal sizes haven't been adjusted down accordingly

@WheelieBinPrincess, it's like a medium size tube. Not the big one or the small one. I'd guess about 80 g. I didn't scrutinize the pack but the stuff was pringles-like

A can between 2 kids would be a lot

Not to mention that the contents are likely to be salty, fatty and carb heavy so not ideal for young children.

Had the children been eating fruit I wouldn't have been shocked

Cost of living plays a part. On a basic levering, chicken nuggets are cheaper than plain chicken breast.

Parents both have to work full time so don't have time to cook, or to teach their kids to cook. Feel guilty for working full time so more likely to give their kids treats. Have to drive their kids to school as they need to get to work and don't have time to walk.

Obviously not all kids are overweight, and there are masses of factors including genetics. But time and cost doesn't just affect those in poverty.

@KirstenBlest I’d never seen one.

Yeah it would be a lot. It annoys me that all the crisps you can buy singularly in supermarkets are now ‘grab bags’. Why?!

I think this thread is perfect it shows that everyone has a variety of ideas as to why it’s happening and we all have part of the solution. But as always it’s not one size fits all and no one can fix the problem just by changing one thing. As for those saying we weren’t imprisoned during lockdown I personally was scared to go out at times. my DS still hates crowds as he’s not used to it. It will take a long time to heal from all the upheaval.

Less exercise will be playing a big part. It's so easy to just drive everywhere instead of walking. Driving to school, driving to after school clubs instead of choosing more local clubs/activities.

Teletubbies being poor role models.

I think day to day social messages around food make a big difference too though. My kids like to be good and since nursery and now school they've come home with 'I've finished my dinner' stickers. Despite never having pudding at home they began to ask for it as toddlers because at nursery if you're good and clear your plate you get pudding, and they want to be good. Because there are a few fussy eaters at their after school club (which includes tea) my DD's are announced as 'amazing eaters, they finished it all and had seconds' every time I collect them. My children are so proud and tell me how so and so didn't get pudding because he didn't eat his broccoli but they stuffed everything in even the bits they didn't like, and got pudding and sometimes an extra sweet or chocolate as a result. This is how I was brought up and I am obese and struggle to break that connection between eating lots being a good thing. I thought I had for the kids and I avoid food as a reward but they value the approval of school staff and peers more than me. They are both overweight.

@Glassofshloer

I really think all the chemicals/plastics in our environment have done something odd to our hormones. Poor quality food doesn’t explain why women are much more likely to be overweight than men, up til middle age at least. And the male sperm count has dropped off a cliff.

My son has been very interested in the low sperm count.

Food can impact testosterone massively - so not enough animal/saturated fats is the main one.

If you look at vegetable oil consumption next to sperm count / testosterone levels, you may imply there could be some correlation for example And added to that the studies that are done on men once they up their animal products/saturated fat and how this impacts on testosterone / sperm production, then it is a worthwhile thing to investigate.

There are many factors.

I believe genetics can play a role, all the larger children I know have larger parents, they eat homemade meals and healthy foods.

Portion sizes- I’ve seen people show off some very large dinners that I could easily split between both of my children that is intended for just one of theirs.

Skewed views - Some people have a skewed opinions on what overweight means, many people say their kids are growing and need the extra calories and deny that their children are anything but healthy where as in reality a 5’5 child weighing 14 stone is overweight.

Poor finances - cheap food isn’t healthy and not everyone has access to cheaper supermarkets, some families may not even be able to provide cooked meals so they eat a lot of processed food. It can be hard for those hit with poverty to provide balanced meals for their children.

Other factors include medical conditions including sensory issues, some children who have extremely limited diets end up gaining a lot of weight as they grow due to their higher than average sugar and fat intake from snacking on unhealthy foods instead of having more balanced meals but for some parents it’s either let their children eat that or eat nothing. I’ve also seen parents at their wits end trying to find ways to prevent access to the kitchen/food for children who constantly want to eat because they never fill full.

Obviously this list goes on but it’s fair to say there’s so many reasons why some children are overweight, in some situations it’s easily preventable with some boundaries/knowledge and in other situations it isn’t so easy and a bit more complicated.

@toolazytothinkofausername

Teletubbies being poor role models.

Do children ever get the chance to feel really hungry nowadays? They seem to be constantly fed snacks between meals, especially toddlers, 'because their tummies are small'. However most babies are expected to go for 4 hours between feeds.

6 eggs a day seems a lot! Isn't there a cholesterol issue there or has that advice changed? I do think not being able to say no is a big part of it, not just the passing on of adult habits. Most in my dc's class have fruit juice or cordial in their drinks bottle each day because 'they won't drink water' etc. I was a total pfb and v on it wrt food but my 2dc are very different, one will eat anything, the other v restricted but at least good stuff. It's not always easy and especially as mentioned in lower income areas, it's much more difficult.

M

My pet hate is seeing a child in a pushchair with a screen in one hand and a bag of crisps in another, keeps them quiet whilst the parent is glued to their own phone

Me too. I think people are just not thinking of what they're bringing about.

Snacking culture. When I was a kid in the 80s we had 3 meals a day and were told we would spoil our dinner if we had a snack. We did have a snack and milk at morning break at school but would never have a snack after school or at weekends or school holidays.

I saw a girl and her friend walk out of the corner shop recently, the girl was about 10 and pretty overweight and she had bought a family sized galaxy bar for £1, her friend also had a pile of snacks. It's the same with tubes of pringles or massive share bags of crisps. People will buy them because they are not much more expensive than a regular sized pack and if they are there they will eat them all.

It is 100% ultra processed foods. These are designed by scientists to allow people to eat and eat without getting satiated.

People do not have less willpower.

This study show that it is not whether it is carbs or fats - it is whether it is ultra processed or natural that makes a dramatic difference.

www.science.org/content/article/ultraprocessed-foods-may-make-you-eat-more-clinical-trial-suggests

@Dozer

Why the incredulity?

I'm not incredulous I'm asking for answers.

@PurpleDaisies

Our school does snacktime, lunch and then another snacktime. So some kids will be eating 5 times in a day at least.

Schools snacks are pretty much always fruit though?

No.

Not at ours.

Also, fruit also contains calories even if its 'good for you'. This seems to be a revelation to some.