Child Obesity Levels Off

[MJS]

Supposedly the issue has peaked, according to this article. Then again, looking around, I am surprised at the number of overweight kids I see. Then again, sometimes I'm not really surprised, because the parents of some of these kids are overweight as well. Getting kids to eat better and get more exericse rather than sitting in front of the tv playing video games is certainly going to be a plus.

Thoughts?

 

[terryl965]

Could have fooled me, all I see is over wieght childern under the age of 12. Where did they see this turning again?

 

[Steel Tiger]

The problem I keep seeing whenever I go into a supermarket is pricing. Junk is cheap, healthy is expensive. So for a struggling family who want to buy something as a treat for the kids do they nuy a dozen apples? No, they go for the cheaper bag of potato chips.

The sugar we are poring into ourselves and our children is staggering and it has got to be having more detrimental effects than just weight gain.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Well let's hope it has peaked and that our nation turns it around but not just on the child level.

 

[tshadowchaser]

If it has peaked then those in my area did not hear the news. There have to be more obesity in this area than most places. Almost every 3 out of 4 people in this area look to be obese

 

[Empty Hands]

It is pretty sad really. Type II diabetes, "adult onset" diabetes, is basically "general onset" diabetes due to seeing it in overweight kids more and more. This will have severe consequences in the future. Another part of the puzzle is the American parental obsession with crime and child abduction, so they won't let their kids go play alone. Crime is lower now than it was when I was a kid and we all went outside to play all day, even after my friends got Nintendos.

Let the kids play!

 

[Jai]

I think until there is some kind of pricing regulation on the foods we buy everyday and some kind of physical fitness standard in schools this issue will only get worse. A lot of the schools around here have cut Phy Ed because there just isn't room in the budget for it. Then the parents don't try and push the kids to do anything past catching the newest 6 hour straight whatever back to back thats on TV. Then they wonder why their 6 year old is over a hundred and fifty pounds and ends up with health problems.

 

[MJS]

Yeah, food prices are crazy. And of course, when you get to the checkout, what do you see?? Candy bars. But I don't think that we should just blame the cost of food, because I'm sure there're some low cost, healthy options. Thing is, the kids don't want to eat them, and the parents give in because they don't want to hear their kids complain.

As for the programs in schools...yes, sadly, many activities get cut due to the budgets. But people shouldn't rely on school activities to get or keep their kid in shape. Parents should step up, take some responsibility and get their kids doing something physical. But then again, as I said in my OP, sometimes the parents are overweight as well, so what kind of example is that setting, when the kid sees mom and dad plop down in front of the tube, with the chips and soda?

 

[Kacey]

Cheap junk food is part of the problem, true - but cheap convenience food, which is often low in nutrition and high in calories (and fat, sugar, or both) is a big part of the problem as well. Today's society is strongly in favor of "more is better" - whether that more is money, activities, hobbies, or whatever. More and more, there is not time to eat a good meal; the "family dinner" of times past is just that - a historical remnant that rarely occurs anymore. The obesity epidemic in this country is an outgrowth of the "more, more, more" mentality that has overtaken too many people - a symptom, rather than the actual illness.

 

[Steel Tiger]

I think until there is some kind of pricing regulation on the foods we buy everyday and some kind of physical fitness standard in schools this issue will only get worse. A lot of the schools around here have cut Phy Ed because there just isn't room in the budget for it. Then the parents don't try and push the kids to do anything past catching the newest 6 hour straight whatever back to back thats on TV. Then they wonder why their 6 year old is over a hundred and fifty pounds and ends up with health problems.

When I was at school, long ago, sport activities were compulsory every Friday or Tuesday afternoon (depending on the schooling level) and it was divided into recreational and competitive. So even those kids who did not want to compete or were not of a sporting bent still got outside and, at the very least, ran around for a couple of hours.

Sport is not compulsory anymore and I think it is beginning to show. Primary school kids still love to get outside and get active, but once they get to secondary school that's the end of that for most of them. Sport isn't cool or something like that, nevermind that sporting prowess will make you akin to a god in Australia. It just something that kids won't do anymore, sadly.

 

[Jai]

Sport is not compulsory anymore and I think it is beginning to show. Primary school kids still love to get outside and get active, but once they get to secondary school that's the end of that for most of them. Sport isn't cool or something like that, nevermind that sporting prowess will make you akin to a god in Australia. It just something that kids won't do anymore, sadly.

Amen. A prime example. Our high school sports teams here at our local school barely have enough kids to make a full team. When I was in school just over 10 years ago we had enough kids to make two or three full teams depending on the sport. Sad isn't it?

 

[Grenadier]

Today's society is strongly in favor of "more is better" - whether that more is money, activities, hobbies, or whatever.

Quite true... I can still remember as a child, that when I ordered a small Coke from Wendy's, that it came in an 8 ounce size, and that the medium was 12 ounces. If you wanted the "Biggie," then that was a rather large 16 ounce serving.

These days, if you step into a Wendy's restaurant, the "small" Coke is a generous 16 ounces, and that the Biggie, well, is rather... big, with the Great Biggie being rather obscenely big.

That's a lot of empty calories.

More and more, there is not time to eat a good meal;

People are in too much of a hurry these days, trying to get out the door as quickly as possible, deciding to grab a quick sausage and egg biscuit and some hash rounds on the way, instead of sitting down at home, taking in a bowl of cereal and a couple slices of toast.

 

[Grenadier]

Dietary measures are probably the biggest culprit. It's not so much the types of food, but as Kacey mentioned, the portions and the culture. Back in my days as a child, we'd enjoy McDonald's food as kids, but it would be an uncommon treat, and not a regular doseage. Furthermore, we wouldn't be gorging on "Super Sized" or "Great Biggie" portions, since it was painfully obvious that the "regular" sized portions were plenty.

It also has a lot to do with parents not pushing their kids to excercise. While video games and internet-based activities do provide a distraction to kids, I'm not so sure that they're the real culprit here.

After all, when I was an elementary school child, we had the Atari console (later named the Atari 2600, or the Sears Telegames console), and I'm sure that many of y'all my age can remember spending a good number of hours playing "Space Invaders," "Asteroids," "Combat," or trying to figure out how to win the game of "Adventure." When we upgraded to Intellivisions or Colecovisions, the games got even better.

There were some differences, though. The parents made all of us do SOME sort of physical activity, whether it were tennis, soccer, etc. I KNOW that many of y'all my age can recall griping about the parents, saying "I don't need parents. I just need a tape recorder with a cassette that has a recording of them saying 'go play outside!'"

 

[MJS]

Cheap junk food is part of the problem, true - but cheap convenience food, which is often low in nutrition and high in calories (and fat, sugar, or both) is a big part of the problem as well. Today's society is strongly in favor of "more is better" - whether that more is money, activities, hobbies, or whatever. More and more, there is not time to eat a good meal; the "family dinner" of times past is just that - a historical remnant that rarely occurs anymore. The obesity epidemic in this country is an outgrowth of the "more, more, more" mentality that has overtaken too many people - a symptom, rather than the actual illness.

Underlined part is mine. Yes, thats the truth! I work 4pm-12am. My wife works 8:30am-5pm. We're like 2 ships passing in the night. So basically my home cooked meal comes 2 times a week. I really don't get a dinner break per se, so I basically eat while working. Sitting down to something fancy is next to impossible due to constant interruptions. Many of the people I work with eat out every night, and sometimes..well, more often than not, it consists of fast food. Not the most healthy thing to be eating. So rather than eat out every night, I rely on bringing my lunch. At least that way, while it may be the same thing a few nights a week, at least I can control what I eat and attempt to keep it somewhat healthy.

I thank God I'm active outside of work, because if I wasn't, I'd really be in rough shape.

 

[Darksoul]

-While I'm of the mind that parents need to step up and do more, I think if the kids have to be in school, sports education should be mandatory. I can make the correlation to adults by seeing and experiencing life in a cubicle. Well, for me it was a call center, but 12 hour shifts answering the phone and not really moving much. There was a time when everyone got their share of physical activity, for there was no choice. Hunting, gathering, farming, etc. Your job back in the day consisted of constant moving. Thats not true today, especially with technology. We don't move enough anymore, and MOVEMENT IS LIFE!! I'm lucky that my job has me walking several miles during my shift, so I get my workout while working. If I ever decide to workout outside of work, I'd be in really good shape.

Andrew