Trout

iTrader: (1)

I personally think it is a bad thing that kids under five are overweight - at that age the responsibility must lie with the parents/guardians.

It looks like there are moves afoot to encapsulate this is child protection legislation.

Is this right or do the SNet massive think this is simply a PC move?

Trout

iTrader: (1)

I agree it is hard to implement.

But you do see kids under five who are clearly overweight. Obviously education is better - but to go with the healthy eating carrot do we need a stick?

David Lock

Seems a fairly sensible article to me but almost impossible to implement as long as you have lazy parents (or parent) who just can't be bothered to cook a decent meal as it's so much easier to buy in $hit. But worth a go if they can help a few kids. I'm a strong supporter of sport in schools as it's fun when you're a kid, much better than the boring gym when you grow up.

But I'm biased as I am a diabetic and that is a real b'astard of a disease. Even if you get your blood/sugar levels spot on it still rots your body away. In severe cases it can make you go blind and destroy your limbs. My aunt had her feet cut off in the end So I am all for anything that might help this - including all GPs to test patients of a certain age for the disease, takes about 30 seconds for a quick finger *****!!

But I am not sure I trust this BMI thing entirely. I bet if you tested the English rugby team every forward, whom I assume is fit, would be way over the BMI maximum. But fat kids look fat.

So I support the suggestion. dl

markr1963

BMI used in isolation is nigh on useless as it doesn't take physique into account. DL's example of the England Rugby team is a case in point.
A better indication of lardiness would include waist measurement and waist to hip ratio.

David Lock

And how would a Sumo wrestler fare on the Index?



dl

Lee247

Tough one, this.
I personally think there is far too much interference regarding children. We have survived for years without some know it all telling us what is best and what is not.
There are many reasons why some children will be obese, not just parents letting them eat what they like etc

Leslie

I agree with Lee. I believe that legislation would be a step too far, its a relic of the previous administration who were out for complete control of the people in every respect.

It is obviously a big problem and I think the only way is to get parents to change their way of thinking and to assume real responsibility for the welfar of their children. Trying to legislate apart from being difficult to do successfully would just put peoples' backs up and achieve nothing. The possibility would arise of children being taken into care.

I can only suggest education, both to try to get the parents to see the importance of it all and of the children to persuade them to watch their own weight.

I also think that making sure that schools have organised sport of all kinds for their children again and to bin that stupid PC idea that competitive sport is bad for a child if it does not win!

Les

The Zohan

With regards to lee and Les's comment i am not a big fan of the PC ethos by any means, obesity in kids is on the rise and if you look at a lot of 'fat kids' out with their parents for example often the parents or at least one is also a fatty and often obese themselves.

diet and exercise are vital and some parents do not have a clue or even care that much, if they cannot look after themselves then how can they look after their kids.

If we where on about kids not being fed, starved then i am sure it is a no-brainer get them out of that situation. Bad diet, overeating and a lack of exercise need to be treated in a similar way as where as the child may not be in immediate danger of death or inurury/damage the long term effects of the above could easily kill them or leave them with long term medical problems.

education is the best thing followed by removal if the parents cannot be trusted to look after their kids properly and put the kids welfare and interests first!

David Lock

I think Tory MP Nicholas Soames



should lead the way along with some help from Eric PIckles






dl

hodgy0_2

a man of whom was said -- "being made love to by Nicholas is like have a bedroom wardrobe fall on you with the key still in the door"

David Lock

Proving that you don't need a 14 lb hammer to drive in a half inch nail

dl

madscoob

iTrader: (3)

every day i collect my kids from school i think my god a weight watchers salesperson would make a killing here , there are munters that are as round as they are tall ( kinda makes you wonder how they got pregnant in the 1st place) and thier kids are like little mini umpalumpas. poor diet poor education (cant cook to save thier lives) its all going to become a even larger problem as the kids get older and think that a sausage roll and a packet of crisps are a healthy evening meal

Trout

iTrader: (1)

Hi Lee,

I agree that interference is a difficult one.

However there is a lot of evidence that early diet has a huge impact on life quality, health and life expectancy.

I also really struggle with the concept that a child can be obese without eating too much. Even the 'fat' gene that has been isolated will only increase body weight by 3-5% over a non 'fat' gene person on the same diet.

Thermodynamics makes it pretty straightforward that the only way anyone can be obese is that they eat too much - as humans do not photosynthesise

Lee247

I can only go off my own kids, who have never and still do not carry an ounce of fat. They are both slim, fit and healthy. But I have encouraged healthy eating and exercise all their lives. So, I would say on your post. Good comment.
Also, I have noticed at my daughters school, there are loads of tubby kids.
I do wonder at how it should be dealt with, but am not sure more interference is the way to go

Leslie

In past times, parents were not only fully concerned for their childrens' welfare and good health in particular, but they also accepted their own responsibility for the childrens' behaviour.

In comparatively recent years, that seems to have disappeared in so many cases. Many parents just don't bother to think about their children and don't care about how they behave, except that they will defend them against all others if they do wrong! That includes against the teachers of course. The children never learn any discipline and become uncontrollable.

What bothers me is the numbers of very young children I see late at night wandering around in gangs when they should have been in bed hours ago. For parents to allow them to do that is shameful. I reckon most of them are off down the boozer and can't be bothered.

The question is, how can those parents be changed in their gross lack of responsible behaviour and made to take a proper interest in their children. That used to be taken as read and parents used to make sure their children behaved and did not let them down. Can we ever get back to that way of thinking?

If we can't, I foresee the destruction of any kind of decent society.

Les

Alg

The Government have no concern for a child's future health as an adult. They just want to save NHS money that will need to be spent to nurse them when they get ill in later life.

As they don't seem too bothered to concern themselves with the cost to the NHS that smoking and alcohol bring (both heavily taxed by coincidence) they've decided to tackle the easy, heart string tugging, (non taxed) issue of food.

Pure lip service i.m.o.

Leslie

Whats your basis for the initial accusation?

Les

David Lock

No.


But maybe it's not as bad, relatively, as you portray? And perhaps things would improve if there were plenty of jobs for these kids but that is unlikely to happen for a long time and anyway many of them are unsuitable being uneducated lazy louts.

dl

Norman D. Landings

I don't think it's possible Les. We have an large section of society, which may even be a majority, who simply don't care about much at all, including themselves and their children. As long as they themselves have as little effort to make in every aspect of their life, they're happy.

Heres a strange one for you. Theres a trampolining class in the gymnastics hall that my daughters attend. The waiting list is 2 years and EVERY child on the course is overweight! It's bizarre to watch. The hall is split between Gymnastics and trampolining and without exception, all the gymnasts are slim, strong, supple, everything you'd expect of gymnasts. Without exception, everything that bounces, well, bounces! The parent's of the lardites sit and watch and feed their children chocolate and crisps between bounces! I have, I kid you not, watched as a panting doughboy climbed off the trampoline, waddled to his mother and took and ate the tray of chips and gravy she'd been and bought for him! At 09:30 on a Saturday Morning!!

It's almost like the parent's are making an effort to get their children active but just can't resist, or can't face denying their little darlings, food, Food, MORE FOOD!

Leslie

It is pretty bad from what I have seen. The trouble is, the next generation will tend to be even worse and so on ad infinitum. We have already seen that happening. Its the lack of education for the children as they grow up and the example being set by their parents.

Les

Leslie

Yes NDL, I agree with you. Thats why I think some kind of positive education might do a bit of good.

I wonder if the parents concerned are anxious for their children to love them and thats why they give them whatever they want even though that does not follow anyway and in the meantime they are "killing them with kindness"!

Les