To be shocked at how many overweight kids there are here?

[glasgowsfinest]

Have got my fireproof hat in place, here goes...! I'm currently at a Butlin's-type holiday park on the south coast. As you can imagine, it's jammed full of kids of all ages. I'm genuinely shocked at how many of them, from pre-schoolers to older teens, are significantly overweight. I don't think puppy fat can be used as an excuse for all of them. Thinking back to my childhood, overweight kids were the exception, not the rule, but now it seems the opposite. I have two children who by no means have a perfect diet, and eat more chocolate and watch more TV than I thought I'd allow, but they're active too and don't seen to have any fat on them at all! Maybe they're just "lucky", I don't know. But the sheer numbers of chunky kids made me feel quite sad.

I think a lot of people don't know how to cook.

Of my peers, the ones with overweight children or those with lots of cavities, are the ones who have low confidence in preparing food.

Lots do the Iceland oven thing, takeaway, or spag bol / chilli con carne / shepherds pie on rotation.

I think a factor may be that more people don't really know how to cook anymore? What do you think?

Just been swimming with the DC's - i concur re very chubby children of all age groups, right across the classes.

Although I agree that healthy weight is mostly linked to education and that higher income families are probably less likely to have unhealthy kids, there is also solid evidence that some people have slower metabolism, are less stressed/ fidgety naturally and therefore use less energy. A lot of children start of with a appearing bigger compared with a skin and bone child next to them, but when they approach puberty that starts to Change, especially in girls who are curvaceous. I was like this as a child, looked 'chunky' next to friends and did have extra fat around my waist but did gymnastics and swimming and was really active. Once I reached 12 I started to even out naturally. It's unfair to just assume that children are fat because they are lazy, overeat or have a deprived life. Sometimes, it's just the way they develop.

It's not that obesity is caused by poverty it's that many of the factors linked to obesity are more prevalent in poorer demographics.

Less food education.
Less access to sporting activities.
Less reward activities that don't involve food (cheap 'treat' in comparison to a new toy or day out at the zoo).
Less stable homes or home life, temp accomedation with unsuitable kitchen facilities or homes without freezers/cookers/money to put in the electric meter to cook lentil soup to feed 100 on a penny.

parents with variable income and hours from zero contract hours, sanctions, poorer money management skills, pay day loans for the birthdays or holidays they don't want their kids to miss out on.
Higher rates of families effected by disability, and the effects range from kids sensory issues like pps have noted to poorer motivation from depression or less organisational skills or being too busy in and out of hospital appointments or caring for dying parents solely, mobility limited or role of medications- they don't 'cause' weight gain in themselves but many increase sedation and carb cravings.
And there is plain dysfunction in terms of parenting skills (choose from lazy neglectful or loving but nieve).

I am not for a second saying all poorer families (I am poor) are like this or that these issues never effect MC families (grew up in one heavily effected by the last on the list) but in terms of general trends these issues are more prevalent in poorer families and they increase risk of obesity, some more some less. There will be others I've missed, sleep education someone mentioned and the role breastfeeding versus formula feeding plays in it also- to do with gut bacteria and breast milk adapting to dietary needs from the little I have read. I suspect these have lesser influence but combined with multipul other factors I don't think it's difficult to see how poverty within a developed country has a role in obesity.

Mini, with regards to your Autistic ds has he been assessed for ADHD? Poorer re-uptake of dopamine is considered to have a role in many neuro developmental disorders but is only medicated for in ADHD. With lower dopamine levels children really have no way of controling impulses and they 'need' that fix in the same way an addict does. ADHD medication addresses this as does one anti depressant that is sometimes used off licence to treat ADHD (only licences for smoking cessation in the UK). When my son went into ritilin his eating stabilised and his sensory sensitivities and cravings became less of an issue. There is a high cross over between ADHD and ASD so you may want to look into assessment. I did read alittle about parents 'naturally' managing dopamine levels with everything from video games to exercise, vitimins and herbal supplements, caffeine and decongestants. I have never tried any of this but you may want to read about it for yourself to make your own decisions.

Someone mentioned fat shaming earlier, how we have a culture of this and parents then end up scared to mentioned weight to over sensitive children because of it. This may be a controversial view but I think fat shaming is mostly aimed at girls. My son did receive some reading when he was 'chubby' but generally it's girls bodies that are scrutinised as they head towards puberty, 'girls' sports where they need to look good in an over sexualised skimpy costume, girls who are fed media images of what their bodies should be and how badly they don't measure up. If society tackled this then we could have more honest discussions about weight as a health issue not as the need to fit into a image that pleases men.

Agree with your final paragraph Today. Thats where misogyny comes into it.

Your first paragraph mentions zero hours contracts and poor money management skills I think the latter is unfair because on zero hours there is fuck all money to manage. You cant manage what you havent got.

*teasing

Yes Helena I meant as a number of different variables effecting poorer families not that those on zero contract hours can't manage money solely. I am aware these are generalisations and I'm not applying them to everyone but as general trends that lead to obesity being seen more in poorer families.

Lavenderfly, I make spag bol, cottage pie and chilli occasionally and wouldn't have thought they were unhealthy....lean mince, bulk out with lentils and extra veg, beans etc....and if these meals are deemed unhealthy what should I be feeding my family? We don't do ready meals.

I think maybe she means there's not much variation, not that it's unhealthy?

Agreed Today. I dread to think what its going to be like in another ten years.

I do agree that if you have some basic cooking knowledge you're more likely to make something out of nothing and gives you the confidence to have a go at putting something together. We've been through some tough times and knowing I can throw some beans, veg and store cupboard bits together into a (sometimes v random!) casserole to ensure dh and dd would be fed helped.

Ah right, Titanz, thanks for clarifying.

The fact that there has been some success in treating obesity with fecal transplants suggests that for some, gut flora may pay a very significant part in weight management

You mean we might have to eat shit to combat the effects of eating shit?

Joking apart (and we need something to lighten the mood of this thread) one thing I notice is how often obese children have a parent who is diet-obsessed or into some extreme form of 'fitness'. It can be a symptom of food acquiring far more power over us than it should ever have. Ideally food should be fuel - nice fuel, agreeable fuel, but something you lose the desire for when you've had enough. Not an addictive drug that you need to ban or severely ration just to stay normal. And exercise should be something that happens as part of a normal day, not an exhausting ritual of self-punishment crowbarred in at the end of a long day's sedentary labour.

ds is 9 and is only just allowed to go in the garden by himself. it is a shared garden down tow flights of stairs and I can not always see him. children going out has required me to go down with them.

we are lucky as our flats have a garden. the other blocks round here do not have gardens and are high rise, so letting kids out is not possible. there is broken glass, dog shit, humans use the gardens as a toilet. I have found a used condom in the grounds and a needle in the street.

one local park is used for grooming kids, the other is full of poo. both have deep water and are only accesssed by crossing main arterial roads, are full of litter etc.

Totally agree with GallicosCats about parents with diet issues. I have no idea what my dd weighs (from looking at her I know she's of an ideal weight) and (because I'm acutely aware of the influence my mother's constant, yet pointless, dieting had on me) I ensure my dd never sees or hears me complaining about my weight/size, we don't discuss "diets" or any forms of weight loss and instead focus on food as energy to enable us to grow, be healthy and play.

"one thing I notice is how often obese children have a parent who is diet-obsessed or into some extreme form of 'fitness'"

I'd say the opposite. On my husband's side of the family at one point only 3 of the 12 grandchildren were a normal healthy weight. The other 9 were all overweight or obese. Out of all the parents (DH and me and his three sisters and their partners) I'm the only one who is particularly interested in diet and nutrition and who 1. Seemed to notice that her children were overweight 2. Saw it as a problem. And I only started to think a lot about food and diet after two of my dc's became overweight in the two years after starting secondary (my kids were a healthy weight in primary).

Not denying that parental diet isn't an issue with some overweight children but it's not the case in my family.

shrunkenhead - I was the same until two of my dc's became became very overweight after starting at secondary.

Unfortunately refusing to acknowledge weight or talk about the food choices my children make and the implications for their health is no longer working as a strategy to keep them slim. It did when I had 100% control over their activity and eating, but now they are more autonomous...

I agree with posters who've mentioned Jamie Oliver-he has campaigned for something as simple as a teaspoon symbol with the number next to it, so consumers can see at a glance exactly how much added sugar is in a product, but the government won't piss off big industry by making it a requirement.

How many would still reach for a monster energy drink if they could clearly see it contained 15 tsp sugar (when one's daily limit is no more than 6-7)?

I've taught my kids how to properly read labels, but it is mis-leading for lots of us-how many portions the things contains (allegedly-who drinks only half a can of pop?), how much actual added sugar it contains in teaspoons rather than grams.

I think we all need to get back to home cooking. I have friends who feed their kids shit every single night (oven baked beige food plus oven chips combo), yet spend probably half-to-an-hour cleaning every day. This makes them feel happier, being in a clean and tidy house, but in my opinion there's nothing more important than feeding your kids well, above everything. If you have 'spare' time it needs to be prioritised differently, and used to make fresh food. If that spare time doesn't happen until the kids are in bed, use that time to prepare the next night's meal, or use a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon to fill the fridge and freezer with meals for the week. It's not as hard as some may think; not liking to cook is not an acceptable excuse, when we have access to so much online.

It's nothing to do with class or income level, I was at CP and I could have started this thread after going to the pool. It was truly shocking the number of children who were overweight or obese. These are families who have a reasonable amount of income as it's so expensive (whole other thread, please don't judge, CP really works for us and we enjoy it).

The problem is lack of activity and huge portion sizes. I see small children being given huge sugary drinks in Costa etc and a muffin as a snack. The total calories represent half of their daily recommended amount! I think many parents don't understand that a) these are adult portions not suitable for children and b) the number of calories being consumed. All this continual snacking is also a huge problem. When I was a child we ate three meals a day and nothing in between. I was fine, never starving. Why do kids need snacks now?

Children used to play out all the time, running around, there was very little children's tv, no computers and loads more children walked to school and back. I honestly think the walking to school and back makes a huge difference. But now most mums are at work and simply cannot walk their children to school and get to work on time. On the days I work I can't walk and I hate it! We are an active family but we still have to 'engineer' walks and other exercise into our days to make sure we are active enough.

Parents from all walks of life need educating on portion control, exercise and healthy choices but who's going to do it? It's a very difficult situation and there isn't an obvious solution.

Would add that when my dd started secondary, her walk to school, which took 20 minutes, took her past 7 fried chicken shops and a Greggs. She would pop into Greggs on the way in and buy a sausage roll (after eating breakfast at home), and then buy a portion of chicken and chips with a fizzy drink (£2.25) on the way home a couple of times a week, because that's what all her friends were doing. She would use her birthday money, pocket money, money given her by her grandparents, or money found down the back of the sofa. She went from being a healthy weight at 11 to being obese by 14.

I live in an inner city area and our food culture for young teens is toxic. You go into Aldi at 8am and there are teens in there buying half a kilo of cheap sweets and sodas to drink and eat throughout the day at school. Newsagents near schools selling half litre bottles of energy drinks to school children before and after school. It's awful.

And those of you who look smugly at your slim primary school age children and think you've got it sussed - I was the same...

We eat fewer calories than in decades past.
What has changed is that we are far less active.

Kids (and adults) today expend far fewer calories than the previous generations. That makes them/us fatter.

"It's nothing to do with class or income level,"

Not so. There is a strong correlation between education and family income and rates of childhood obesity.

Go stand outside any top private school in London at chucking out time and count how many overweight children you see. Then stand outside the worst comprehensive in the same area. You'll see many more overweight kids.

bbc

"We eat fewer calories than in decades past"

We get a higher proportion of our calories from sugar.

I've taught my kids how to properly read labels, but it is mis-leading for lots of us-how many portions the things contains (allegedly-who drinks only half a can of pop?), how much actual added sugar it contains in teaspoons rather than grams

Absolutely agree with this.

It's changed to sweetners now for instance but this "per 100 ml" or "half a can " but I'm sure at one point that ml for ml a fruitshoot contained more sugar than coke. And fruitshoot are sold at soft play etc to toddlers. You'd never think it was worse for you than coke.

And also all the sugar under different names. Fructose glucose etc.

All these foods that advertise 85 percent fat free. Well 15 percent fat is still high 5 or less is considered low fat.

There needs to be more honesty about when things like sugar or fat content reduced there's alot more processing is other crap added which makes it worse for you.

School dinners for example they claim the cakes are sugar egg nut fat etc free.so it's ok the brownies are as big as the plate

Why is eating a massive slab of cake that has nothing in it rendering it pretty much a waste of calories.better than a small piece of the real thing that's nore filling and more tasty. The kids don't know it's "healthy" theysre merely learning its ok to have slices of cake that large it's a bad habit

Why do people keep banging on about education. There is absolutely no evidence that education makes the slightest difference. Most people know that eating too much makes them fat, it doesn't drop them doing it. Far more complex than that.