Problem of obesity in children

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32901, 27 April 1972, Page 7

Problem of obesity in children

(By

HELEN HOWARD)

LONDON. At first glance there is nothing odd about the slimming clinic in Staffordshire in the North of England. It looks like any of the other health farms and weight-reduc-ing centres which have mushroomed around the world in the last few years.

Yet a closer look reveals one difference —and a highly significant one. The members are ail schoolchildren, aged from five to 16. The clinic’s very existence, in fact, reflects a trend which has been disturbing nutrition experts for some time now. For obesity is

now one of the most common “illnesses” among schoolchildren. A recent medical survey in Britain found that 14.6 per cent of all children were overweight before the age of five. The problem is so alarming the child welfare experts that the Inner London Education Authority is actually running classes in which fat children receive expert advice on diet and other matters. By the look of things, many other schools will soon be following suit.

Over-weight youngsters is a trend very much on the increase in major Western industrialised societies. Professor W. Kuebler of the University of Kiel recently told a conference of child doctors: “If the present rate of affluence in West

Germany continues, there could be a 50 per cent obesity rate among children within a few generations.” PARENTS BLAMED

And the blame, according to Dr Phyllis Mortimer, a British general practitioner, lies squarely with the parents. “It’s a tremendous status symbol for some parents to have children on mixed foods when they are still perfectly happy on milk,” she says.

“There are also parents, who are giving babies three heavy meals a day at the age of six weeks—just to outshine other mothers.” A harassed mother is often guilty of shovelling food into her baby every time it cries, say the experts, or giving it a baby cereal

with its last bottle to ensure “a good night’s sleep.” But all these mothers are succeeding in doing, they warn, is to encourage obesity. Professor John Yudkin, Professor of Nutrition and Dietics at Queen Elizabeth College in London, says: “The earlier you develop obesity, the more difficult it is to get rid. of it.”

Sugar is more dangerous than starch, not only because it leads to disease in later life, but also because you develop a craving for it. “Physiologically you need no sugar. You get a certain amount out of fruit and vegetables — approximately half an ounce a day.” This compares sharply with the eight ounces a day the average child eats.

There is another danger, too. In addition to being sensitive about their weight, the fat child who grows into a Billy Bunter is likely to develop a psychological condition known as anorexia nervosa. The symptoms were recently outlined by a West German, Professor JoachimErnst Meyer at a meeting of London’s Medico - Psychological Association. “Food,” he said, “becomes so hateful to the fat girl that she refuses to eat. Some literally starve themselves to death.” But the reverse can often happen, too. There can be a self-destructive urge to go on eating. The problem of obesity, the experts emphasise, must be tackled early—during the first few months of a baby’s life. And that, they say, means educating the mothers. Meanwhile, if your child is already over-weight, they have drawn up a list of simple rules which, if followed, can do a lot to help.

Constant nibbling, they explain, is at the root of many children’s over-weight problems, so instead of giving them sticky buns, or sweets or ice creams, give them an apple, a chunk of cheese, or a piece of celery or carrot.

And beware of bottles of cola and lemonade. They contain so much sugar that they are both fattening and bad for the teeth.

The feeling df hunger between meals, they also suggest, can frequently be avoided by giving children a protein breakfast such as bacon and eggs. Cereals and toast, they say, should be avoided for they are carbohydrates. Mothers, too, are advised to study their children’s school meals. Some schools still tend to put the accent on stodgy foods simply to fill the youngsters up. If they find this happening, they should press for the introduction of well - balanced diets.

If children are encouraged to develop good eating habits from an early age the problem of obesity will disappear. Children not brought up on great quantities of sweet things do not develop a craving for them later, say the experts. As Professor Yudkin says: “The more sweet things you eat the more you want.”— Features International.

Kindergarten function. — Twenty-five years of activity was recently celebrated by the Riccarton Kindergarten, at a function attended by nearly 60 women. The president, Mrs W. A. Anderson, compiled and presented a short history of the kindergarten.