Why are British kids fat?

[VogueVVague]

So time, two parents working, low budget/cost - all these things can result in ready meals being served up etc. but that still doesnt explain why, compared to the rest of Europe, our kids are the fattest.

So whats the reason?

Is it political?
Cultural?

Something must have changed for us and mot the rest of Europe in the past 50 years (doubt kids before 1960 were chunky).

It's because you can get pizzas 2 for 1.

It also makes a difference what type of carbs people eat. People say all carbs are bad but it should be everything in moderation not cut off a whole food group. The highly processed stuff is just bad full stop and too much will make you fat.

I haven’t read the full thread, but I wonder if better public transport is also playing a part. I see secondary school children literally wait longer for a bus to arrive and then travel for one stop than it would take to walk it. But the buses are regular, and free for under 16s (I think) in my town, so they wait.

Also interesting to read:

www.nhs.uk/news/2017/10October/Pages/Childhood-obesity-soars-worldwide.aspx

In the UK, as with other high-income English-speaking countries, the rise in childhood obesity seems to have stabilised in the past decade, albeit at high levels. Around 10% of UK children are estimated to be obese according to this study.

People would do well to read about it before making sweeping statements.

*No, it hasn't, our carb intake of all sorts has declined since the 70s.

And even things like oven chips haven't increased in 20 years, they did increase before that, but at the expense of potatoes, not lettuce, lentils or lemons.*

That is not factually correct. Carb intake has increased, especially processed carbs. Corn syrup for example is added to most of our food, including bread

I don’t think food is freshly prepared like it used to be.

Let’s not forget the extra calories from alcohol

This applies to grown ups of course

Mine aren't, so I don't know.

IfNot

People can ask to have their roads blocked off for a weekend next month where I live, in order to encourage street play. Sounds like a good idea, and I hope it is used.

*Because parents are scared to let their children feel even a bit “hungry”

Exactly this. And if you don’t give them snacks every two hours they actually eat their real food.*

You can blame the parents or look at why kids DO get hungry every few hours....yes it’s high carb diets. They make you hungry constantly

If parents have kids a block of cheese or some cold meat as a snack they wouldn’t get hanger.

But we don’t do that because we think cheese is high fat

@ParisUSM I hadn't heard of this - could you possibly share a link (if there's anything online about this)?

Snacks
"treats"

Snacking did not exist till the 70's
the "treat" culture is about 15 years old

and the stupid obsession with never feeling hungry

@Rosti1981

www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=22538
www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/16207054.Miss_the_days_of_children_playing_in_the_street__Apply_to_have_your_road_closed/

how does that 'I blame the parents' work when you have a family with one or two overweight children, and one who's built like a whippet, who all sit down for meals together and have the same family food culture?

I can only speak from my own experience, but my DM is a 'feeder', it is how she shows love. My elder brother loved to eat and was hugely obese by the age of 10. Me and my younger brother stubbornly refused to be stuffed with snacks all day long. We stayed skinny and were labelled finickity and unloving fussy eaters by DM

It was the difference in the children's personality that made the difference, not the parenting.

I do think some other parents also struggle with this. If their child says no to food then they think there is something wrong. I have a couple of friends who complain their child is a fussy eater and "won't eat anything", but their child is actually quite over weight so clearly is eating a reasonable amount of something

I think some parents are just thick.
I have seen kids on their way to school eating crisps/chocolate bars/cans or coke or red bull.
You don't need a degree to know that all the above are fattening and bad for you.
So I blame the parents.

I also think that there are parents that do eat normal family meals but give their kids massive portions.

I don't know, but I suspect this is not only in Britain. Thinking about it I think It's a combination of the following:

The rise of technology and computer games. I am a secondary teacher and over the last few years have taught a great many teens who are obsessed and do this in all their spare time. For younger DC, children's Tv is available from 6am till 7pm and things like smart TVs make Netflix available with one click. It is too tempting for parents.

The rise of living costs and the fact that many families now have two working parents - spare time is limited and is not used to prepare home cooked food - 30 years ago most families had mum at home when DC were little. This is not a criticism- I am a working parent and reach for fish fingers and pizza more than I should.

Not enough exercise. For the same time constraints for parents listed above, DC are taken to school in the car and to other activities.

Ah thank you. Looks like it's Glasgow only, but I might email our local councillors to see if there could be interest in doing something similar in our local area too. It's a great start (even if it is only just a start).

I moved from London to rurual Sweden 3 years ago. There are more overweifth children up here than in their London school. I think its a few things up here lack of exercise - screen time, being ferried about everywhere due to 'no' public transport other than the school bus. And the fact that Swedish kids (up here that I have come across) are incredibly fussy and seem reluctant to try unfamiliar things.

I don't live in Britain but visit regularly with my children, we notice so many people eating all sorts of stuff at any time in the street, huge helpings of snack or junk type food, no set mealtimes where everyone eats together. And so much packaged industrial stuff.
And from British visitors I hear your school meals are not very coherent, no crudités, no salad, just "children's food" whatever that is, people bring packed lunches (we don't have this) and your school day is also so short, what do children do when they get out, they graze.
I think it is also attitude to things, crisps are not a snack here they are specifically for parties and actually nobody really eats them, not like in UK. We don't have as much prepared food but I expect we will catch up.
I had a teacher from UK on a school exchange staying with me who drank 2 litres of diet coke every day of her week long stay, in her room. Why would anybody do that?

Rosti1981

Are you in Scotland? If so www.playscotland.org/ should be able to help, it sounds like one of those simple initiatives which could be good.

I went for a 3 hour run on Sunday and ran through a little town and numerous small villages, I was shocked and saddened to see just ONE child out on a bike, aged around 14 - literally one, apart from the odd toddler on a tricycle with their Dad. The lone cyclist looked lonely I have to say and this in a town where I passed at least two big communal green areas that years ago would have been packed with children playing rounders, cricket, whizzing up and down on bikes as I did in the '70's. I am very active but I cannot get my children outside for love nor money. Very depressing.

I live in South Australia, the fattest state in Oz. Kids here are fat (and adults) because everyone drives everywhere and there are a lot of fast food outlets. Also portions here are AMERICAN in size.

I got here three years ago, we went to a pub ...DH and I and two kids. Asked for a side of chips just as a snack and were served a washing up bowl size of chips. It was GARGANTUAN but described as a "side of chips"

HUGE cakes in bakery...I buy a vanilla slice and it goes three ways...and I LIKE vanilla slices. But couldn't eat a whole one here.

I’ve just come back from an appointment. It’s half term here.

No children playing out on our estate.

Saw no children as I drove along. Thought - they’ll all be at the park. Drove past 2 big parks. A few toddlers but no big gangs of children on bikes or playing football.

Popped into a shopping centre for a few bits and saw some children looking sulky and unhealthy eating crisps and drinking Coke. A few small children hanging round some of those nasty “rides” you get in centres. None of them looked happy or excited to be free for half term. Do the parents think that a trip to Tesco is exercise and that Coke = lunch?

Where are they all? Surely they are not all looking at screens all day?

It's a combination of things but a big part of the problem is availability and relative cheapness - so many small shops everywhere like co-op, mini supermarkets, Mccolls etc all stuffed full of cheap confectionary and snacks plus dominos,kfc,mcdonalds open all the time plus greggs and warrens - it's pretty difficult to avoid, is the food we are conditioned to like and definitely has an addictive quality.