Loosen the grip obesity has on children
Childhood obesity has been described in recent years as an ‘epidemic’ in Wales. Dr Mair Parry, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s (RCPCH) officer for Wales, explains what steps can be taken to reduce their bulging waistlines
Wales is currently firmly in the grip of an obesity crisis – with more than a quarter (26%) of its children and young people overweight or obese.
Doctors like me are seeing more and more children with health problems associated with their unhealthy lifestyles and we’re seeing them much earlier than ever before.
This not only has obvious health implications, but also puts a huge strain on the health service.
Of course, Wales isn’t alone. Obesity is a problem that affects our neighbours in Scotland, Northern Ireland and in England – as well as being a problem of global proportions.
If we are to loosen the grip obesity has on our country, we need to invest more heavily in prevention so fewer people become overweight or obese in the first place.
We know that children who are overweight or obese are more likely to become overweight or obese adults and they have between 10 and 20 fewer years of healthy life.
They are also more likely to go on to have overweight or obese children themselves, and so the cycle continues.
That’s why we need to sow the seeds of good health early.
However, the challenge now is to ensure all schools work to the same curriculum so no child misses out.
Educating young people on the benefits of breastfeeding will do wonders for good health promotion.
We hope it will feature as a new module on the PSHE curriculum once it has been redesigned.
A breastfed baby is less likely to pick up infections, is less likely to be overweight or obese and has a reduced risk of sudden infant death. Breastfeeding also has positive health benefits for mothers. It provides improved protection against breast and ovarian cancer, weak bones (osteoporosis) and obesity.
And did you know you burn 500 calories a day from breastfeeding?
Collectively, the UK has one of the worst rates of breastfeeding when compared to the rest of the world so women and their children are not reaping these health benefits.
PSHE is just one part of this, but we also need to make sure continued breastfeeding support is available for women at every stage of their journey into motherhood.
We need to break the stigma that surrounds breastfeeding and change attitudes towards breastfeeding in public.
There’re two ways parents can wean their baby – baby-led weaning and spoon-fed weaning.
Babies get a great deal from both. Some experiment more with food if they feed themselves, whereas others enjoy being fed by someone else.
But whichever you choose, you should make sure they eat a varied diet of soft or mashed fruits and vegetables such as parsnip, sweet potato, carrot, potato, apple or pear.
They only need very small amounts at this stage – around the size of one to two ice cubes.
Keep offering different foods, including foods your baby has rejected before as it can take a little while for them to accept new textures and flavours.
Once they have mastered mashed foods, gradually introduce lumpier food and meats to their diet, increasing the portion to the size of up to four ice cubes as they approach eight to 10 months.
Children should be eating substantially less – less than half the size of an adult’s meal – but the amount of food can vary from day to day and meal to meal so it’s better to give a smaller portion and offer seconds if they come back wanting more.
Taller or more active children will eat larger portions than shorter or less active children.
What you put on your child’s plate is just as important as the amount.
They should be offered a varied diet consisting of dairy and starchy food, such as bread and potatoes, to fruit and vegetables and meat and fish.
It’s also important children eat some high-fat foods but these should be limited.
You can find out more about portion sizes and diet by visiting the Infant and Toddler Forum website.
There are many factors that must be taken into account when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight.
Portion size, diet and breastfeeding are just three of them.
The food industry plays a major role in shaping children’s attitude towards food and therefore must take some responsibility for the country’s obesity problem.
Clever marketing campaigns aimed at children and young people influence their eating habits.
If we are to successfully change these attitudes and behaviours we need to foster an environment which promotes healthy living.
That’s why junk-food advertising needs to be banned before the 9pm watershed and new fast-food shops need to be prevented from opening near schools.
With policies like these in place parents are less likely to be pestered for fast food too.
When you are fit and healthy life feels different. For the majority of children, they are happier, look brighter and find it much easier to concentrate.
They are also less likely to develop a mental health problem or conditions linked to obesity like asthma, joint problems and heart disease.
The type and quantity of food we give our children is an important part of keeping them healthy, but realistically we are swimming against the tide unless something is done about the power industry has over our young people.
So let’s loosen the grip obesity has on our nation by getting tough on industry in addition to ensuring we are eating the right foods in the right quantities. But perhaps most importantly, let’s make sure we give our health and wellbeing the attention it deserves all year round.