If you're poor and you have boys, read this.

[user1477282676]

www.theguardian.com/society/2016/oct/11/obesity-soar-boys-girls-poorer-homes-deprived-backgrounds-overweight-2020

I am sorry if that sounds offensive. But I am so, so angry about the state of things right now in terms of inequality in the UK (and the world!) and I have started another thread along the same lines...but this one is slightly different.

According to this article in the Guardian, obesity among boys from the most financially strapped families is going to be rising whilst obesity in wealthy children will fall.

How is this even a thing? We know what schools do in their attempts to "educate". They weigh, they police lunch boxes...but that doesn't fix anything it would seem!

I am so cross that children...and it would seem boys especially, are going to be suffering.

It's terrible to think of the health problems these kids are going to have. We actually have play areas being closed round here, and the cost of swimming at the council run pool is ridiculous, so local kids are getting fewer opportunities to exercise. I just don't see the situation getting any better.

Since around 64% of UK adults are now overweight/obese, it's not really surprising tbh OP.

But ultimately it's down to the adults to get a grip on their own weight and that of their children's.

Not easy of course, but the bottom line is no-one is going to be able to literally do it for them.

The links between obesity and poverty are fairly clear.
Good food costs time, money, energy.
Good food also needs to be part of your culture.

If you have little time, money and energy and good food is not part of your culture, then...duh...

As for why boys. Well it's only my own observation but my own DS and his peers (17/18 year olds) often make very poor food choices when left to their own devices.
But none of them are fat (some are bloody puny), because I suspect, their parents, like DH and I, are ensuring their food intake at home is as reasonable as possible.
We can do this because we have plenty of time, money and energy.
We make a point of it. Along with ensuring our DSs take some exercise. Drink shit loads of water etc
And even then, DS diet is far worse than his twin sister's.

So if I were poor and knackered and busy. I can easily see why his diet could fall into the dire state of some poorer teens.

Drudge
I think you are spot on about girls there, and the staying slimmer.

I also think theres an element of "look how much he can put away" banter with boys.

Family of 4 = £8. Even those cloud cuckoo land who know What The Poor Should Be Doing can spot a combination of meat and vegetables in the shop that are less than that, in fact even some of The Poor can.

Yes a family of 4 would eat for 8 quid, but at 700 calories or so a meal, that is not going to make them fat. Yes the diet is bad, yes there would be long term health concerns, but the number of calories from that 8 quid is not enough to make them fat unless they're sedentary, and eating lots of other stuff.

Poverty makes it really hard to eat a healthy low calorie diet, it doesn't make it easier to over-eat.

My (thankfully not current) experience is that poverty is unrelentingly hard work and the struggle is not helped by the accompanying feelings of hopelessness and failure or the often sneering judgements of the better off. There is very rarely any solution in "Oh, they should just..." type comments. The source of the problem is the poverty, not the parents. Although when the political landscape is constantly shifting and uncertain, the poor are a handy scapegoat.

Yes Satsuma, online shopping wasn't an option when we were shit poor, it would be a massive help now even if I had have had to go to the library to use the internet to order it.

Although often we did not spend the minimum £40.

Choli Ireland, north, in 70s too. Totally understand what you mean. Now we are all middle aged, brothers are extremely health conscious and it's the sisters who have the spread!

Interesting. Perhaps this is a factor that should be considered. It might be that those girls who appear to be at less risk for obesity are simply being denied food, and will eat the more when they can buy their own, resulting in them being at more risk for obesity as adults.

I don't think those problems can be solved unless the problem of poverty is solved. And that's not going to be solved by telling the poor to pull themselves up by their bootstraps.

With an unconditional basic income, perhaps some people would still have shitty eating habits, but obesity would be at rich-people levels for every population group.

There are so many factors. I'm afraid I don't have much patience with people who complain about cost of uniform: school uniform is extremely cheap compared with ordinary clothes. I bought two school skirts for dd for £3. £3! She has official shirts and polo shirt, but that came to £20. And they have lasted two years. Shoes from M&S which were £20 and have lasted a year. So per wear very good value.

Now, those same people who moan about cost of uniform furnish their dcs with money to buy drinks and snacks which are really expensive not to mention fattening. There was a boy in dd's class who arrived in class every day with a large Costa latte - in year 7 !! I couldn't believe it but she assured me it was all week. Can you imagine the cost? Unfortunately the boy was obese.

So speaking from experience....I'm not poor now but used to be when I was very young and around lots of people in poverty. Then in teenage was fairly rich so have seen both sides up close and personal...

People in poverty see eating healthily as a long way down their list of priorities. A long, long way. In fact many don't think of it at all.

They are more likely to be thinking of how they can keep the electricity meter going to the next pay day, various family dramas, how to get work or what's going on with their benefits, etc.

It's not education they're lacking per se. They could easily tell you that it's healthier to eat an apple than a biscuit but....it's just not something they give a lot of headspace to.

They're lives are much more chaotic and the quality of food just isn't something they give that much of a shit about to put it bluntly.

Obviously this is IME and I am by no means saying all people in poverty are the same but they have a lot more going on in terms of broken relationships, insecure employment, either them or family members dabbling with drugs, crime, drink issues, skipping school, etc.

It's Maslow's hierarchy of needs in action.

BarbaraofSeville

'take the cooking issue up with the School'
thanks for that advice! The School is being closed down - do you think they are going to bother to chat with me about cooking costs?
and each child chose their own recipe so each child had to bring in different ingredients apparently.
so, the School closing down 12 weeks after we joined.
Smashing - that's £146 of school uniform (inc the embroidered loge'd pe kits they had to have) down the swanee too.
But, that's just me making bad choices / not contacting the right people is it? Pah!

anyway I was just listing the ingredients and quantities as I was not believed upthread. The Co op is quite expensive.

And yes I've looked into my heating costs.

People assume that other people are poor because they are stupid.
THey don't know how to budget.
They don't speak to the gas board / the school / look up cheap recipes.

SHOCK ANNOUNCEMENT - Some of them DO, just like better off people.

Zippy no sneering just pointing out the facts and how making excuses doesn't help.

I work in a school
It's hard not to judge tbh
But it's the kids from poor backgrounds who come to school either with no dinner (we make sure they get a meal) or with a carrier bag full of crisps and chocolate and coke.
(KS2 on obv)
I've seen firsthand how large the take up of free KS1 meals is....that's tails off significantly from year 3 onwards (ks2)
I have no idea what the answer is....but the kids who eat this way suffer, not only from obesity, but from a real lack of energy and emotional crash after so much sugar and saturated fat.
It's very upsetting to see.

Hmmm blazer, £40, skirt £32 and blouse £24, logo knit £12 and a tie of £4. All compulsory from the school supplier only. That's my local secondary.

ZippyNeedsFeeding
:Yes. you get it. THANK YOU

I think I'll go and look at a thread that is less frustrating!

You need to be rich to eat cheaply.

Not necessarily a billionaire, but you need sufficient resources. Disposable income, transport, time, knowledge, mental energy, experience, socialisation in food culture and as I said up thread it helps if you are literate.

Our secondary helps those on pp with school uniform.

Some of the children come from very troubled backgrounds or are looked after children.
Sadly the cut off point for FSM is just above the poverty line so people like my mum and dad (working poor) didn't qualify
There will always be inadequate parenting and parents that don't give a crap, but they are very rare ime.

YY smiling Dosnt matter if the kids are poor so long as they dont look poor natch

And I am not 'making excuses' but explaining what some people seem unable to understand!!!!!!!!!!

Just listen to the language of this thread:

making excuses
I'm afraid I have no patience with
lazy
stupid
it's hard not to judge

go give your heads a wobble, will you?

But excuses are being made that don't stack up.

If you are spending £100 a week on a daily take away meal alone let alone energy drinks and other crap you can afford to boil a pan of pasta.

The excuses line isn't working,it gets trotted out every time.

I understand people who are poor may have less kitchen facilities/ herbs/ shops/ parks or whatever. But why is it a huge problem in the uk?
Ie you have poverty all over the world, almost all other countries will also have the same lack of facilities yet they don't become overweight from being poor do they? they have the same if not worse hardships

gosh " playing out" seems like something from a bygone era. My kids played out constantly for years and walked miles to school. I never hear or see children playing now and the area if full of families.

Well it is hard for me not to judge when a child opens up a lunchbox with 7 chocolate bars in for his lunch.
Obv I am evil
🤔

Vestal I'm not obese, I'm a healthy size 12, with middle age spread after three children (none of my brothers gave birth). None of my sisters are obese either, but one is probably overweight and she is the poorest but not as poor as some people on this thread. All my brothers have health problems, diabetes, high blood pressure hence the health kicks. My family were and are not poor, both parents were head and vice head teachers. I was simply replying that 'penis' portions were a problem in Ireland.