A weighty problem

addicted to sweets and junk food and who ended up falling into a river of chocolate and getting sucked up a pipe. (Subtlety wasn’t really Roald Dahl’s strong point as a writer).

Anyway, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was written in 1964, back when kids’ diets and lifestyles were somewhat healthier than they are now. With less TV and no games consoles to keep them indoors and on the sofa, youngsters who looked like Augustus were a rarer sight.

These days, Augustus would probably be considered somewhat under-fed by comparison to some kiwi children, who are consuming cheap sugary rubbish and fat-sodden takeaway meals at an alarming rate.

A recent study was carried out on children taking part in an intervention programme tackling childhood obesity. It found these youngsters had a troubling relationship with food. They often didn’t feel full after a meal because they were distracted by the TV or another device, they ate in the middle of the night when they felt hungry and they drank far too many fizzy and powdered drinks.

The latter are popular because they are cheap – although with 18 teaspoons of sugar in every litre of drink, families are paying the price through their health.

We can argue over degrees of parental responsibility, but doesn’t it seem odd that the least healthy option is often the cheapest option?

Next time you’re in a supermarket have a look at the price of soft drinks. You’d be surprised just how cheap some of them are.

‘‘Obesity is everyone’s problem,’’ said paediatrician Yvonne Anderson, who took part in the study. ‘‘We all need to work together to address the food and drink children have access to.’’

The advice is to turn off the TV, put down the ipad, cut down on the takeaways and eat meals as a family around the table,

Interestingly, one of the factors behind childhood obesity is body image. Children who are unhappy with the way they look sometimes find comfort in food. This, of course, makes them bigger, which makes them more unhappy, so they eat more. It’s a vicious circle.

Augustus Gloop may be a comic creation, but his unhappy real life counterparts are no laughing matter.

Oompa Loompas take note.