Overweight Children – What Can A Parent Do To Help? Part 1 Of 5
by: Lindsay Small
The latest figures released in the US state that 15 percent of children and teenagers are now considered overweight, up from 6% 20 years ago. Statistics in the UK are similar, and rising. Whilst children starve in Africa, kids in the Western world are lining up to suffer a frightening array of weight-related illnesses, including skin and joint problems, early osteoporosis, type II diabetes, bowel cancer, high blood pressure, heart attack and strokes. Recent research also suggests that obese kids are 77% more likely to suffer from asthma.
And of course in a world where TV, movies, teenage sitcoms and advertising all promote the ideal image and the “fat kid” is often mocked and made the butt of all the jokes, many overweight children will increasingly suffer from lack of confidence and poor self-esteem, leading to isolation and possibly depression in their teenage years.
Why do the numbers of overweight children keep going up?
* Portion sizes – at school, restaurants and home – keep growing
* Children have far more choice in what they eat (previous generations ate what they were given, or went hungry)
* Food is much more easily available
* Kids’ drinks, fizzy drinks and so-called “sports” drinks abound
* Many snack foods and junk foods are specially targeted at kids, advertised to kids on TV, of little nutritional value, and far from “filling”. Some nutritionists even suspect that chemical additives can make your child crave more of particular foods
* Fast food outlets have proliferated in recent years and provide cheap, easy meals for time-stretched parents
* Kids expect “instant gratification” in many areas of their lives, including food. Living with hunger pangs – even for an hour – is no longer an option!
* Parents are often setting a bad example
(continued...)
Overweight Children – What Can A Parent Do To Help? Part 1 Of 5
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About The Author
Lindsay Small
Overweight kids? Overweight adults? Losing It My Way.com provides the information and resources (including an innovative range of free printables) to help you make your own weight loss decisions! For a new look at weight loss visit http://www.Losingitmyway.com.
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