Childhood obesity: Too much too young?

THE UK is sitting on a childhood obesity time bomb.

Our youngsters are now heavier than they have ever been and are putting on weight at an earlier age – before they even start school.

Not only are our children more likely to die younger through conditions linked with obesity, they are also falling ill younger, with 1,400 children in the UK already known to have been diagnosed with lifestyle-related type two diabetes.

Overweight children are more likely to become overweight or obese adults and face increased risks of diabetes, cancer, heart disease and stroke. They’re also prone to developing psychological problems including depression and low self-esteem, and face bullying.

According to recent research from the Earlybird Diabetes Study published in the Pediatrics Journal, one in four children aged four to five in England is now overweight.

And the government has forecast that by 2050, 60% of men and 50% of women could be obese.

Chief medical officer for England, Sir Liam Donaldson, says it’s no exaggeration to describe soaring rates of obesity as an "impending crisis".

"We need to get in early and build the foundations to healthy living from a very early stage," he says.

But he adds: "It is never too late. Obesity is one of the few serious medical problems that can be reversed very, very quickly."

According to nutritionist Dr Jennie Cockcroft, childhood obesity is now at ‘scarily epidemic’ proportions. She says that with the government struggling to tackle the root causes, everyone responsible for children’s health should take action before the current situation becomes a catastrophe.

She says: “We have seen rapid increases in childhood obesity in a short space of time. Within one generation, a childhood obesity epidemic has sprung out of nowhere.

“There’s an estimated future cost of £2 billion to the NHS, and £10 billion to the economy because of the problems overweight children store up for later life. We have to work together to do what we can to help those affected. This isn’t the time for finger pointing, but positive action, involving the whole family.”

Dr Cockroft has pioneered a healthy eating programme called Phunky Foods, which has been adopted by around 350 UK primary schools.

She says that as well as the health costs both for children and the NHS, childhood obesity can also have other devastating consequences.

“Obese children can have low self esteem and become victims of bullying,” she says. “They can have a poorer quality of life through respiratory problems and pressures on their joints.”

So who’s to blame for such a sorry state of affairs?

The ten-year EarlyBird diabetes study, which is now half way through has reported that parents could do more for their children’s health.

It reports: “Overweight is now perceived as the norm. Parents are no longer aware of their own or their children’s obesity. A simple analysis of the EarlyBird parents and their children revealed what is a fundamentally serious issue for the campaign to reduce childhood obesity.

“Parents are essential partners in the fight against childhood obesity yet, crucially, they do not acknowledge the problem.”

But for many experts looking at issues of ‘blame’ is the wrong approach.

It’s also a widely-held expert view that the way we all live has also contributed to the scale of the problem.

Dr Cockcroft explains: “Our genes have not kept up with today’s culture and the environment we live in, the amount of activity expected of us from day to day has decreased, technology makes things easier for us.

“Food has also changed, with high fat and high sugar products becoming much more prevalent. It’s not always easy to make health choices and the healthy choice can be perceived as the expensive choice.

“Even the issue of children’s safety has had an impact – parents are much less likely to let their children go out and play now, they are much more likely to buy them computer games.”

All of these factors add contribute to what’s called a modern ‘obesogenic’ society.“That means we live in a culture that actively promotes the consumption of high energy food while maintaining a low-energy lifestyle,” adds Dr Cockcroft.

“While it’s right that families should take responsibility to move forward and learn more about healthy eating and a more active lifestyle, it’s not right that we should talk about who’s to ‘blame’.

In fact, government research at the heart of its £372 million Change4Life programme says that obesity has many causes and is a much more passive phenomenon than often assumed.

“Our basic biological instincts combined with our modern environment means that we're destined to put on weight,” a government team concluded.

Throughout the UK, there are large-scale schemes and smaller programmes made up of people passionate about defusing the obesity timebomb. While it can be extremely complicated and extra sensitive to help youngsters manage their weight, these initiatives are making a real difference to children’s quality of life.

The government says current Change4Life plans are ‘groundbreaking’ in supporting a more healthy society. They incorporate early years, schools, food, sport, physical activity, planning, transport and the health service and the government is working with commercial and voluntary sectors to help improve diet and lifestyle.

Some £30 million has been invested in so-called Healthy Towns – these are Dudley in the West Midlands, Halifax, Sheffield, Tower Hamlets in London, Thetford in Norfolk, Middlesbrough, Manchester, Tewkesbury and Portsmouth.

On launching the scheme, health secretary Alan Johnson said: “The core of the problem is simple - we eat too much and we do too little exercise. The solution is more complex. From the nature of the food that we eat, to the built environment, through to the way our children lead their lives - it is harder to avoid obesity in the modern environment.”

The Change4Life programme encourages families to eat well, move more and live longer. The goal is to help every family in England.

As well as government, the diet industry is also targeting teenagers. More than 2,000 young people aged 11-15 currently attend weekly Slimming World sessions. They can attend free when accompanied by a paying adult.

The company has helped 28, 707 youngsters aged 11 and above, since first welcoming them in 2006.

Spokeswoman Jenny Caven says that the programme differs from the adult version because of the sensitivities of helping children.

She says: “We know that the last thing young people need is pressure to lose weight. It’s based on providing warm, friendly group support aimed at building self-esteem and rewarding change rather than weight loss, with no judgemental attitudes and no pressure.

“For 11 to 15 year-olds, the emphasis will be on making lifestyle changes to prevent weight gain rather than on weight loss, on involving the whole family in making healthier choices, and on increasing regular activity.”

The pioneering SHINE programme in Sheffield has so far helped more than 200 young people on specific programmes but also has a ‘health bus’ with a nutrition centre, a gym and wii sports area, which goes out into the community.

Project co-ordinator Kath Sharman says: “Our aim is to help young people understand their weight problem so that they can manage it more effectively in an independent way. This is achieved by not only concentrating on food and eating, but by promoting a complete attitude change to lifestyle.

“The programme incorporates nutritional therapy, exercise, and behavioural modification, which includes psychological therapies to address issues related to anxiety, depression, low self esteem and confidence, body image and bullying.

“We promote a family orientated programme. We are non-judgemental and have a ‘no blame’ culture. We believe that families require help, support and understanding rather than criticism and we help families to change at their own pace, in relation to individual circumstances. ”

“Our uniqueness is that we provide counselling as part of the programme as many young people with weight problems have psychological issues they need to work through even before they think of weight management. “

One of the most respected UK schemes for young people is the Carnegie Weight Management programme for children aged eight to 17.

They run a series of residential camps, day camps and community clubs.

More than 4,500 young people have been helped so far by the various schemes which are run out of Leeds Metropolitan University, since it was set up 10 years ago.

Another groundbreaking healthy eating education programme is the national MEND scheme, whose sponsors include Sainsbury’s and whose healthy eating and lifestyle guidance was developed by Great Ormond Street Hospital and the University College London Institute of Child Health.

Bobby Demmon, 14 is a MEND success story. Five-foot one Bobby has shed two stone since hitting nine stone. He lost a little himself then joined MEND to help continue.

Bobby, of Romford in Essex, says that he found the sessions on healthy eating, followed by exercise, great fun.

But he says he can’t take all the credit for his impressive weight-loss. His mum Denise, 47, also deserves massive praise, he says.

Denise says Bobby had always been active, enjoying weekly swimming sessions and football practice and while she and Bobby’s brother Joe, 12 ‘could eat anything they want,’ her husband Ian, 43 and Bobby had a tendency to put weight on.

She decided to sign Bobby up for MEND because not only was she baffled by his weight gain, apart from thinking it must be ‘his metabolism’ but also because other children had started to call him names.

“We’ve learned that a series of small changes can have a huge long-term impact,” says Denise.

“This is not a diet, I’ve adapted family food to be as ‘MEND friendly’ as possible. For Bobby, it has been easy and it has been fun.

“Sometimes he has rang when his friends are tucking into a pastie and said ‘mum I’d like to have one too, but then when he has a bite he realises he’s not missing anything.”

Bobby adds: “I’m really pleased with how it’s gone, it has been easy and fun, I’d say to anyone who is overweight that they should believe in themselves, learn how to make the small changes we have and go for it.” * An earlier version of this piece is in the current edition of Sweet magazine.

Comments

[Todd29]

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