Taranaki kids are getting bigger

Taranaki has the second highest number of children affected by obesity in New Zealand.

And New Zealand has the third highest obesity rates, for adults and children, in the OECD, behind the United States and Mexico.

Almost 20 per cent, or 4,500 Taranaki children are affected by obesity, pediatrician Yvonne Anderson said.

‘‘Nationally, 99,000 children are affected. By the age of five Taranaki children have, on average, 1.6 teeth which are decayed, missing or have a filling.

‘‘These alarming statistics need to be addressed by a positive, collaborative community-led initiative.’’

Anderson was one of the speakers at the Activity and Nutrition Aotearoa (ANA) regional forum in New Plymouth on Thursday, which was attended by people from around the country.

The ANA regional forum aims to connect people together in addressing the food and physical environment of children and young people in the region, she said.

‘‘What unites all of us is a commitment to achieving the best future for the tamariki and rangatahi of Taranaki.

‘‘We are all seeking solutions to child health issues and we all need to start having this conversation.’’

Anderson said she didn’t know why the situation in Taranaki was so bad.

‘‘The causes of obesity are complex. Lots of whanau are working really hard to make healthy lifestyle changes, but people live in families and families live in communities and if communities are obesitypromoting the changes they make are unlikely to be consistent.’’

University of Auckland Professor Boyd Swinburn said one reason New Zealand’s obesity statistics were so high was because ‘‘we have been very lax at doing something about it’’.

‘‘It’s been on the front page for about 15 years and very little in the way of polices have been developed. We have taken a much more kind of education-based approach and market solutions whereas other countries have been much more regulatory.’’

The World Health Organisation has a ‘‘stack’’ of recommendations about what needs to be done and it is all evidence based, he said.

‘‘But largely they’re not implemented and it’s not just New Zealand not implementing them, it’s around the world.

‘‘A big part of that is push back from industry, especially on things like taxes on sugary drinks and restrictions on marketing and junk food to kids. Other countries that have been trying to implement these policies around food have to do big battles with the food industry every step of the way.’’

Dental Association spokesman Dr Rob Beaglehole said they wanted a tax on sugary drinks.

‘‘The number one source of sugar in the New Zealand diet comes from sugary drinks – that’s age zero to 30.’’

They were heartened by numerous schools around the country adopting a water only scheme, he said.

‘‘But what we would like is for Chris Hipkins, the Ministry of Education, to show leadership and to adopt the policy where no junk food or junk drinks are sold or provided in schools. It doesn’t make sense for schools to be selling sickness on their property.’’

Professor Paul Hofman, a clinical endocrinologist and researcher based at the Liggins Institute in Auckland, said one thing that always got missed was sugar is addictive.

And while he supports the banning of fizzy drinks, he is concerned if they just ban the drinks, children will just get their sugar fix from another source – chocolate or lollies, he said.

‘‘And this has been done overseas and in terms of obesity rates there has been no change – they’re gaining addictive calories from another source.

‘‘I’m not talking about teeth. Teeth are a separate issue.’’

New Zealand’s rates of obesity are appalling, he said.

‘‘They need to go down. It’s right they’re not going up, but they are remaining at very high levels.’’