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Research carried out in Australia and the UK has found parents' diets, and their management of children's exercise and eating habits, are the most crucial factors in childhood obesity.
In related news, pressure from groups concerned with food advertising in the US have caused Kelloggs to alter the worldwide nutrition standards of some of its products, and its policies on advertising to children. Although some advocacy groups believe that independent watchdogs must be introduced to set these standards.
Australian research
An Australian study has found that children of overweight or single mothers have a higher likelihood of being overweight or obese; and that factors such as family conflict, negative life events and maternal depression are not linked to children's obesity.
'Children from single-parent families, particularly when there is a family history of obesity, may struggle to maintain a healthy weight in an obesogenic environment with restricted access to nutritious foods (e.g. fruits, vegetables and wholegrain cereals) and adequate facilities for recreational exercise.
'The association between children's weight, maternal BMI [body mass index] and family structure confirms the need to find ways of targeting prevention and intervention efforts for childhood obesity at families with overweight parents, particularly under-resourced single parent families.'
—lead author of the study, Dr Lisa Gibson (Perth's Telethon Institute for Child Health Research)
The study looked at 329 Australian children between the ages of six and 13, and their parents.
Read Australian Medical Association's 'Obesity risk greater for children of overweight or single parents'.
British research
A major new study of 14,000 children in the UK has found that almost one in four are overweight or obese by the age of three. This builds on previous research indicating that the levels of child obesity in the UK have trebled since the 1980s.
Read The Guardian's 'One in four children are overweight by age three'.
In response to the increase in childhood obesity, some British doctors are arguing that extreme cases of overfeeding should be considered abuse or neglect. According to research conduced by the BBC, obesity was a factor in at least 20 child protection cases in 2005.
However, other health professionals believe that classifying childhood obesity as neglect will not be helpful:
'Obesity is a public health problem, not a child protection issue.
'There may be a few families that give cause for concern where there are other matters of neglect or emotional harm and this is where a paediatrician might have discussions with social services.'
—Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
The British Medical Association will be debating a motion at the end of June, whether obesity in children can be considered neglect.
Read BBC News' 'Child obesity "a form of neglect"'.
Visit the British Medical Association website.
Parents' provision of healthy foods
Australian dietitians have supported a British paper which indicates misguided management of children's eating is contributing to their obesity. The paper, published in the British Medical Journal, argues that parents' restriction of access to certain foods is most frequently associated with weight gain in children. Additionally, the pressure to eat has negative psychological consequences.
The British article argues that an authoritarian approach to food is harmful, and it is better to make healthy food available and let children decide how much to eat.
'This may be counterintuitive for some parents, whose parenting style is more controlling … But children must learn to regulate their own intake, by responding to internal hunger and satiety cues.'
—Article lead author, Heather Clark (University of Sheffield)
Read The Sydney Morning Herald's ‘Strict diet by parents may make kids fatter'.
Concern about diabetes rates
Australian dietitians are also concerned about growing rates of Australian children being diagnosed with diabetes. Experts are recommending that overweight children should undergo mandatory screening for Type 2 diabetes.
According to the director of Melbourne's International Diabetes Institute, Professor Paul Zimmet, diabetes is being under-diagnosed in children:
'It is going to place an enormous strain on our health system ... The number of children with Type 2 diabetes will outnumber those with Type 1 within a decade, if not before.'
Read The Daily Telegraph's 'Shocking child obesity study'.
Influence of advertising
Also related to children's health, several US parent and advocacy groups have succeeded in convincing Kelloggs to alter its nutrition standards and methods of marketing to children.
In June 2007, Kelloggs announced new worldwide nutrition standards that mean a single serving of any of its products will not contain more than 200 calories, 230 milligrams of sodium, 12 grams of sugar and no trans fat. The company said that it will no longer advertise to children any product that does not meet these standards.
While dietitians around the world have indicated that this is a step in the right direction, some argue that the changes—particularly the reduction of unhealthy content per portion—will be of limited benefit:
'We fill a bowl till it's full … We fill a glass of juice until we hit the top. We eat the package of chips till it's gone. That's how most people consume food.'
—Andrea Holwegner, Health Stand Nutrition Consulting (Canada)
Read CBC News' 'Kellogg Co. introduces new nutrition standards, marketing to kids'.
In Australia, the Coalition on Food Advertising to Children recently commissioned an independent survey which indicated 86 per cent of Australian parents want a complete ban on television junk-food advertisements aimed at children during popular viewing times.
Visit the Coalition on Food Advertising to Children website.
Further reading
Related news items on the Early Childhood Australia website:
Related resources on the Early Childhood Australia website:
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