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England's children getting fatter


__Kratos__

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Increasing numbers of boys and girls under the age of 11 are now obese, official figures for England show.

Between 1995 and 2003, the prevalence of obesity among children aged two to 10 rose from 9.9% to 13.7%, the Department of Health found.

The biggest increase seen in an age group was among eight to 10 year-olds, from 11.2% to 16.5% over the eight-year period.

Obesity experts said the statistics were alarming.

Clearly we are in the middle of an epidemic that is wreaking havoc on our children

Dr Ian Campbell of the National Obesity Forum

Obesity also rose significantly in the poorest areas of the country.

Levels of obesity were five percentage points higher among children living in the most deprived areas than the least deprived areas of England.

Obesity levels were lowest in Yorkshire and the Humber and the South East (11-13%), and highest in the North East and London (about 18%) in 2001/2.

Children living in inner city areas were particularly prone to obesity.

The number of children who were overweight, and possibly on the road to full-blown obesity, had also risen.

More food, less exercise

Children of parents who were themselves obese were much more likely to be overweight.

About 20% of children living in a household where both parents were overweight or obese were themselves obese compared with 6.7% of children living in households where neither parents were overweight or obese and 8.4% of children where one of the two parents were overweight or obese.

Dr Ian Campbell of the National Obesity Forum said: "These statistics are very worrying indeed.

"Clearly we are in the middle of an epidemic that is wreaking havoc on our children."

He said it was down to children consuming more calories and being less active than they ought to be.

"It's the fact that calories have become cheaper and exercise expensive."

"It's a travesty that this country, which has got a wealth of resources, has been neglecting the welfare of our children in this way."

But he said we should be able to tackle this problem as a nation because we had the expertise and the will in government to do it.

"Now is the time to stop it. The optimal time to intervene is in childhood, before irreversible damage has been done and while lifelong good habits can be learnt."

Source

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*Points gun at kid* "Put DOWN the packet of cookies and step away slowy!" It is amazing how much these kids eat in a day... Seriously put down the food. Heck, go to the park for a couple hours instead of being glued to some video game that will still be there when you get back.

Edited by __Kratos__
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Maybe they should get out of their cars and walk to high school like young Walken. He's pretty thin and on the ball.

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why am I not suprised by this news? lol

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Why indeed?

Its the same here in Australia....

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Maybe they should get out of their cars and walk to high school like young Walken. He's pretty thin and on the ball.

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I think it is not as simple as that.. both parents and single parents now have to hold down full time jobs to make ends meet and have to drive the kids to school so they can get to work for 9am... as a result of them both having to work full time the kids diet has changed mainly to fast food or Mircro meals etc.. neither parent when they get back from work wants to start cooking so the knock on effect is weight gain?

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Maybe they should get out of their cars and walk to high school like young Walken. He's pretty thin and on the ball.

623521[/snapback]

My high school was 25 miles away. tongue.gif Although this article is talking about primary school kids.

"It's a travesty that this country, which has got a wealth of resources, has been neglecting the welfare of our children in this way."

This is very true. I think that it is the school dinner culture that is primarily responsible for this. Did anyone else see Jamie’s School Dinners? It is disgusting what kids are fed at school. The more aware children (and parents) can be made of what they eat the better it will be for their health. thumbsup.gif

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It depends what you mean..... I had a fully blanaced diet at home when I was at school...and I was overweight. I left home and started eating nothing but take away and lost 20 kilo's.... (40 pounds or so)

Its not always diet..... Physical activity is an important part....

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Yes I think schools in general have less PE classes, PE was something tat was concentrated on in the middle schools ahen education here was a 3 tier system and then when it dropped to 2 tier, Primary and Upper school it has been left out of the equation.

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There is only so much physical activity a kid can ( and should get ) durring school hours. Recess and gymclass help but it also helps if the parents can get the kids away fromtheir video games and into outdoor activity. I was always a chubby little kid but a great athlete, very strong very fast. When I was in high school, I got pretty thin and took my lunch to school in a box; that helped too.

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Yes I think schools in general have less PE classes, PE was something tat was concentrated on in the middle schools ahen education here was a 3 tier system and then when it dropped to 2 tier, Primary and Upper school it has been left out of the equation.

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Your right on that one,i think im right on saying that labour sold of hundreds of school playing fields for land for housing,and then had the cheek to say our kids dont get enough exercise at school

When the kids get home from school instead of doing what i used to do which was play football on the street,kirby ,kick the can and hide and seek all games that used alot of exercise they cant do that any more as it would be anti-social behaviour,they go down the park and every thing down there is vandalised or have junkies hanging around

The government have not done enough on this and wonder why we have a problem,parents like XSAS said have two parents out working know to make ends meet and are either not in when the kids come back from school or cant be botherd cooking a healthy meal so itis straight intothe micro or some thing from the chipy

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Yes of course you are right in that the physicality of the kids is a big part. In primary school especially they are full of energy and I think have generally higher metabolisms. I think that it is not so much the time spent having P.E lessons that is the key, but it is how they teach in them. If PE teachers can make the sports fun for the kids, they will want to play them outside of school. I used to love playing football in primary school and we always played it down the local park over summer holidays, and now I coach tennis when I have the time. original.gif

In secondary schools I found however that the teacher was often not very qualified in the sport they were teaching, and so wasn’t able to bring that essence of fun to the game to the kids, and so we were never that encouraged to pursue it in our spare time.

Make it fun for them and they will get all the exercise they need through doing extra-curricular activities on their own accord. thumbsup.gif

I still think that it is the food culture in England that is the main problem for kids though. Other factors will be like you guys have said, more families with both parents working, and so the T.V becomes the minder. Also the increase of technology in the home probably means that they want to stay at home longer and not go out and play in the park etc.

These other factors are very tough for anyone to solve. At least with school dinners and the quality of teaching in PE lessons these are things that can be actively invested in by the government.

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Guest Lottie
This is very true.  I think that it is the school dinner culture that is primarily responsible for this.  Did anyone else see Jamie’s School Dinners?  It is disgusting what kids are fed at school.  The more aware children (and parents) can be made of what they eat the better it will be for their health.  thumbsup.gif

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I never saw Jamies School Dinners but I heard about it. Apparently they had to go back to basics with some of the children because they didn't know what an apple tasted like?! Is this true?

The problem is its not just the schools, Parents also need to be re-educated. Some parents are quite happy to let their children eat junk food.

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I like what Jamie Oliver did for school meals however he did this to promote himself and his new books, I don't thin he was as comitted to this has everyone makes out, however he got a result and that is what is important.

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I never saw Jamies School Dinners but I heard about it. Apparently they had to go back to basics with some of the children because they didn't know what an apple tasted like?! Is this true?

The problem is its not just the schools, Parents also need to be re-educated. Some parents are quite happy to let their children eat junk food.

Yeah it was astonishing how ignorant children had become concerning fruit and veg.

While there was some protest from the parents who had obviously heard from their kids how ‘disgusting’ the new (healthier) meals where, the main obstacles for the whole reform came from the dinner ladies and head-teacher!

The head was always chasing up Jamie for spending over the daily budget for the ingredients (about 45p I think?) and the dinner ladies were complaining about the longer hours they had to put in the kitchen to cook the meal from scratch. The problem was as they themselves confessed, they are not cooks. They merely heat and prepare food rather than cook it, so Jamie had to organise a dinner lady boot-camp to try and teach them the basics of cooking a good meal. grin2.gif

I think the overhaul in the catering industry for schools in England is long overdue. Jamie provided a great starting point, and it is up to the government to recognise the influence meals can have and to build on it. The programme also attributed the bad meals for detrimental behaviour in the children, like lack of concentration and a greater number of kids taking time of school through illness. There appeared to be many spill over effects from the healthier meals, so the sooner investment is pumped into that, the healthier we as a society will be. Children are after all our most valuable resource.

Jamie's School dinner homepage original.gif

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However, Britain's OVERALL obese rates are lower than those in other European countries.

Germany, for example, has a higher obesity rate than the US, whereas Britain has a lower obesity than the US.

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However, Britain's OVERALL obese rates are lower than those in other European countries.

Germany, for example, has a higher obesity rate than the US, whereas Britain has a lower obesity than the US.

624289[/snapback]

Adults in Germany are fat, but I have seen only a few fat children so far.

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However, Britain's OVERALL obese rates are lower than those in other European countries.

Germany, for example, has a higher obesity rate than the US, whereas Britain has a lower obesity than the US.

624289[/snapback]

He said England, not fecking Britian.

Dont bring the celtic nations into this debate, Unless he meant Britian then thats another reason Celtic nations hate been English

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A third of young Germans are fat.

56% of men are overweight, and 46% of women.

The obesity rates in EU countries are getting so bad that the EU has even created an Obesity Taskforce -

Europe takes action to fight obesity

Written by Anastasia Tsakogia-Garaud

Wednesday, 13 April 2005

Obesity in Europe is critically rising particularly among children. The EU regulators decided last month to take the alarming data seriously and put forward measures to tackle obesity. A think tank was created to coordinate the work of different expert groups.

Poor nutrition and a lack of exercise are the main reasons of increasing obesity numbers both in adults and in children in Europe. In most European countries more than half of the population are overweight or obese. According to the figures provided by the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF), approximately 200 million adults and 14 million children across the EU are overweight or obese. The same study indicates that the number of overweight children is rising by around 400,000 a year.

In most European countries, the overweight and obesity rates have increased during the last two decades. In some countries the EU RIVALS the US in adult obesity figures. In Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Greece, Malta and Slovakia, the percentage of overweight and obese people combined surpasses the 67 percent in the US. Nine European countries have male obesity levels above 20 percent, Greece and Cyprus reporting 27 percent. Greece shows 38 percent prevalence in female obesity. Countries with typically LOW rates in obesity, such as France, Netherlands and the UK, also see their figures significantly rising.

The problem in children and adolescents is terribly severe. It is estimated that one in five children in Europe is overweight. Southern European countries are particularly affected, as processed food replaces the healthier Mediterranean diet. Malta, Sicily, Gibraltar, Crete as well as the countries of Spain, Portugal and Italy report overweight and obesity level above 30 percent among children aged from 7 to 11. Five countries report overweight and obesity levels above 20 percent for the same age group. For adolescents aged from 13 to 17, seven countries indicate above 20 percent, while in Crete overweight and obesity levels reach 35 percent. Sedentary lifestyle of children contributes to the rising figures, as European children spend more time in front of their television sets and computers and less time exercising.

Obesity entails disastrous effects on health and life longevity. Obesity is linked to cardiovascular diseases, the main cause of death in Europe. It increases also the risk of high blood pressure, strokes, diabetes, respiratory diseases and cancer. Obesity involves also an important budgetary and economic cost. It is estimated to account for 2 % to 8 % of healthcare expenses.............

Anastasia Tsakogia-Garaud

Paris (France)

http://www.newropeans-magazine.org/index.p...=2076&Itemid=88

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However, Britain's OVERALL obese rates are lower than those in other European countries.

Germany, for example, has a higher obesity rate than the US, whereas Britain has a lower obesity than the US.

624289[/snapback]

He said England, not fecking Britian.

Dont bring the celtic nations into this debate, Unless he meant Britian then thats another reason Celtic nations hate been English

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I know he said England, but I was talking about Britain.

I know for a fact that Scotland has far higher levels of obesity than England, with all those deep-fried Mars Bars that your kids eat. It should come as no surprise to you that Scotland is the heart disease capital of Europe.

The English also hate you Scots. Why? Because English taxpayers are fed up with paying for services that are only used in Scotland and not England.

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However, Britain's OVERALL obese rates are lower than those in other European countries.

Germany, for example, has a higher obesity rate than the US, whereas Britain has a lower obesity than the US.

624289[/snapback]

He said England, not fecking Britian.

Dont bring the celtic nations into this debate, Unless he meant Britian then thats another reason Celtic nations hate been English

624338[/snapback]

I know he said England, but I was talking about Britain.

I know for a fact that Scotland has far higher levels of obesity than England, with all those deep-fried Mars Bars that your kids eat. It should come as no surprise to you that Scotland is the heart disease capital of Europe.

The English also hate you Scots. Why? Because English taxpayers are fed up with paying for services that are only used in Scotland and not England.

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I said I hate being english not that I hate the English you Egit sleepy.gif

The reason Scotland has problems is because of the lack of healthcare for most poverty stricken area's in the UK.

Created by lack of funds by the UK government Under the fecking tories.

You obviously have a problem with Scottish people and using mars bar thing shows you use stereo types which is etremly narrow minded.

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Blackleaf this is a false generalisation you are making. I for one am English and I will not have you say we ‘hate’ the Scots. If you do then that is your opinion, but because English tax-payers are or are not subsidising Scotland is not for the people of Scotland to decide as such, it is for the UK Government.

The point of having a common Parliament is so that funds can be redistributed to help out in areas that need it. Now can we get this topic back on track and leave out the myopic views please. This thread has nothing to do with tax expenditure in Scotland.

disgust.gif

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tommy i apologise for what i sed in a previous thread BTW.

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ya i use to be obese when i was 14, but i took care of that, now i just got a pot belly ^.^ theres barely anything there now,

anyhoo time to close down mc donalds!! xD

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Dont close any McDonalds as i would starve to death,once you have eaten a few burgers all you have to do is exercise to burn of the sh-t you have eaten,and we all know there are many ways to burn it of devil.gif

We seem to be living in a culture of fast every thing,parents need to sit down with their kids and educate them ,but many have not got the time to even do that.

Schools are trying their hardest but even they can only try so much

A weird thing hapened tonight when i was out working i took agood look at some fat kids and noticed their parents were fat,is it because the parents are fat and doing nothing about their weight they dont give a f-ck about their kids because they cant see nothing wrong with their selfs

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