Why isn't child obesity classed as neglect?

[dinklu]

(Setting aside medical conditions that may contribute to weight gain.)

If a child is severely underweight due to a lack of proper nutrition, it is often seen as neglect. But when a child is significantly overweight due to consistently poor diet and lack of exercise, it is not typically viewed in the same way. Why is that?

Is it because there aren't enough resources or support for parents? Or is it simply not recognised as a form of neglect in the same way malnutrition is? Curious to hear other perspectives.

In the 1980’s, we ate oven chips every day with a burger, fishfingers or sausages.
The most fruit and veg we ate was some frozen peas instead of baked beans on occasion.

There were overweight children (and underweight ones) back then too.

Because cheap is good - it keeps benefits and wages down because at least no one is starving

Because cheap is good - leaves cash left for other things

Because expecting people to behave responsibly is at complete odds with the fact that advertising works - or no one would pay to do it

The food industry is manipulating people and profiteering on the back of peoples poor choices -choices that lead to ill health and huge costs on society to find the NHS

Because expecting people to be robots is denying the frailties of being human in the complex capitalist society we have created

So yes it is partly and significantly not just the fault of the parent who is trying to get by

Some kids are just a little chunky but in extreme cases I agree with you. I know one woman who's toddler is MASSIVE still she regularly gives him whole family bags of haribos I honestly don't understand it, she has eyes how can she not see how big he is?

Because fat kids typically have fat parents, and I guess it hits too much of a nerve to inform those fat parents that they've substantially overfed their child.

Far fewer, though.
My parents were pretty absent, too, as per PPs, but somehow we didn't get the chance to become overweight.

I'm genuinely sad for those children that is neglect

It's complicated, possibly has a good bit to do with social deprivation. I live in a naice area and you don't really see overweight primary age kids. Some boys can be a bit plump around the end of primary school but then they grow six inches. I work in a poor part of the city centre, and now that's where you consistently see fat little kids with fat mums. The type given a phone in a buggy that they're plonked in until about six. The poor kids are in that pattern before they even know it. Another thing I've noticed around town is that teenage girls are generally bigger than we were. Is this 'body positivity' or celebrating being 'thicc'?

@Cerialkiller the predisposition to obesity it's about 70% genetic
Why has the percentage of obese children increased?

It's down to what people eat and how much of it they eat.

UPF is a factor. The wheat-based typical western diet is not ideal. Portion sizes have increased.

@WilderHawthorn , I don't buy the fresh food is too expensive either. The supermarket loss leaders are things like carrots and milk. An egg costs about 27p.

One thing I've noticed is that fat people and slim people seem to eat different foods and in different amounts.

A child living with the effects of food poverty can be simultaneously overweight and also suffering from malnutrition.

Speak for yourself, I was overweight my whole childhood.

The greed which causes childhood obesity is of the ‘Big Food’ companies who maximise profits by selling UPF fake food with few nutrients, not the families who buy this stuff.

We are then programmed to seek more and more food to get the nutrients we need in a vicious cycle which suits ‘Big Food’ but leads to malnourishment and obesity which usually co-exist in such children.

Supermarkets are the enablers.

Eating non-UPF is no more expensive as there’s no need for all the snack foods etc as meals are far more satisfying.

But ‘Big Food’ is a very powerful global industry with lobbyists and friends in high places.

I think this is a bit of a myth. I was a school child in the 90’s and none of my peers had a stay at home parent, all the parents worked.

Children walked to school by themselves from age around 8 where I grew up because both parents worked

It's in the food - it was too boring so overeating wasn't a pleasure

and also compare the size of an 1979 dinner plate to a standard plate today

Eating UPF is cheaper though - calorie per pound you can get 2 to 3 times more for the money - and most people are not eating twice as many calories as needed so a healthy diet will cost them more

It's very difficult - and easy to judge and point fingers if you haven't been there.

The youngest of my 3 children has a really disproportionately big tummy at age 9, and I have to get her age 12-13 stuff to fit it. She's also quite tall (152cm) but has gained weight in the last few years and is overweight, possibly obese.

I've raised her the same as my other two children.

I see myself in her - the sensory seeking food behaviour and lack of awareness of hunger signals.

I try everything I can to get her to consume less calories/eat good stuff. But it is hard when she will help herself when my back is turned, plus I am very conscious (maybe too conscious) not to make a thing of it and damage her self esteem as that's the cycle I got into.

I work in a school and there are at least 4 kids who are morbidly obese and have been since reception. There are many others who are overweight to some degree. Most of these kids have packed lunches which are filled with numerous sugary snacks, crisps and things like sausage rolls. They rarely have anything healthy in them. I feel incredibly sorry for them.

No, the reasons are more complex than that, to do with poverty, cheap food, easy access.
Lack of portion control, endless snacking, (cheap) junk food.

Children walked to school by themselves from age around 8 where I grew up because both parents worked
We walked home and it was over two miles. We walked everywhere. Both my parents worked.
It's in the food - it was too boring so overeating wasn't a pleasure
We didn't eat between meals. The food was a bit bland an boring.
and also compare the size of an 1979 dinner plate to a standard plate today
I can't remember of the actual plates were smaller, but food was mainly 'meat an two veg' not pasta, pizza etc. Bread was from the local bakery not sliced in a bag.
If we were thirsty, we had a glass of water. A takeaway was a rare treat. We hardly ever ate out. We didn't have diet drinks.
People didn't wander about with coffee cups or cans of pop, or food.

There weren't many fat kids.

Another factor contributing to childhood and adult obesity is the scrapping of subjects like home economics and cookery in schools - I know some do it but it's often barely anything. Nutrition is bolted onto science and the county have lost cooking skills.

When I was at school in the late 80's we ALL had to do at least 2 years of it! Where we had large cookery facilities etc - many don't have the skills or confidence to make the most of offers on fresh ingredients, which are cheap, and pay over the odds for ready style meals.

I remember mutterings of schools cutting down on "soft subjects" like cookery, such a short sighted thing to do!

When i was at primary school we had little ovens and we regularly cooked too, so not just secondary school.

My eldest is heading towards 40 i didn't know one mother that worked during the day and full daycare was almost unheard of unheard of outside London because there was no call for it and really only became readily available everywhere in the late 90s, so yes that was about 30 years ago.

Children stayed with grandparents usually rather than paid childcare who kicked you out to play outside

Or mothers worked around childcare - teaching, shop assistant, bar maid

My mum worked. most of my peers mum worked.

Could not agree more. ...it's so sad to see.

In 1970 50% married women worked

It's now 73%

So it's probably class and area dependent what you grew up with

I hate this argument it's total bullshit and such an excuse for laziness. Healthy food is super cheap!!! Put a load of sweet potatoes on your plate!!