Obese children are becoming the norm in Scotland

Alan — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 09:24:41 +0000

A recent study that has been conducted by the British Heart Foundation has shown that children in Scotland who are aged between 11 years old and 15 years old are obese or overweight. The study also investigated whether children were eating enough vegetables and fruit every day and it found that nine in every 10 of them were not.

Health experts who’ve read the study have commented that it shows children are eating an alarming amount of unhealthy foods, including junk food. The study showed that Scottish students were most likely to eat crisps as a snack and this was ahead of fruit and other healthy options.

Andy Carver works with the British Heart Foundation in Scotland and he has recently commented, “Eating a poor diet can lead to long-term health consequences and the five-day rule is something that is seeming to be ignored in the country. Instead of eating five portions of fruit and vegetables, Scottish students tend to be eating sweets, fizzy drinks, crisps and chocolate instead of healthier alternatives.

“The previous generation of Scots tended to have a healthier lifestyle than the children today and new predictions are showing that Scottish children are probably going to live several years less than their parents. Much of this is due to increased levels of type II diabetes and obesity.”

It is not just Scotland that has shocking figures, the rest of the UK seems to be indulging in an equally unhealthy diet. Nearly one quarter of schoolchildren had an unhealthy snack more than three times a day. The survey involved over 2000 children and of these 40% said that they consumed an energy drink or a fizzy drink during the course of the day. The survey was conducted in September and is aimed at helping to tackle the childhood obesity problem.

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Marks & Spencer to cater to obese children’s clothes

Alan — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:09:03 +0000

For years the problem of overweight and obesity in children has been considered an affliction of the lower classes, but this is really not the case, as evidenced by the new line of clothing for ages 3 to 16 recently introduced by Marks & Spencer.

In response to customer request, the top-selling retailer for British school wear just came out with their “plus size” range of clothing, cut 2 ½ inches larger than the regular lines to accommodate wider waists and hips.

The larger measurements translate to clothing sized for the ‘average’ eight-year-old boy appearing in the four-year-old section, and women’s size 18 in the girl’s sixteen-year-old range. Spokespersons for Marks & Spencer said that last week’s launch of the Plus Fit line was a trial run, and the response from consumers will determine whether the company continues the line on a permanent basis.

M & S is not the first in their attempt to cater to this new trend; BHS had the idea in 2005, and other retailers such as Next and Asda have already introduced the larger sizes in children’s lines.

The move by Marks & Spencer underlines an ongoing controversy in the field of national health care. Tam Fry, honorary chairman of the Child Growth Foundation and member of the National Obesity Forum, said that this is just the “commercial recognition” of a problem that has grown alarmingly worse in the past two decades.

About 27% of British children are overweight or obese by the time they enter primary school, and the fault lies not only with parents, but more specifically with the government, which he says has failed in its obligation to regulate the food industry.

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Parents Cafe » obese children

Obese children are becoming the norm in Scotland

Marks & Spencer to cater to obese children’s clothes