Child obesity 'a form of neglect'

[Style]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6749037.stm

British pediatricians are saying that allowing a child to become obese is a kind of neglect. Anyone agree, or are people just getting fatter across the board and it's no big deal if kids follow in their lardy parents' footsteps?

Personally, I agree. It's neglect and neglectful parents should be sterilized to prevent them from doing any more harm to future children (either by making them obese or thru any other kind of neglect/abuse). It's the only sensible option.

 

[tzor]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6749037.stm

British pediatricians are saying that allowing a child to become obese is a kind of neglect. Anyone agree, or are people just getting fatter across the board and it's no big deal if kids follow in their lardy parents' footsteps?

Personally, I agree. It's neglect and neglectful parents should be sterilized to prevent them from doing any more harm to future children (either by making them obese or thru any other kind of neglect/abuse). It's the only sensible option.

Actually the article states, "Some doctors now believe in extreme cases overfeeding a young child should be seen as a form of abuse or neglect." Given that point in bold I tend to agree; in extreeme cases. But in these cases it is not as much "allowing" as actually making the child fat through very wrong dietary choices.

 

[werk]

I somewhat agree (not with the sterilization part, but with the issue). Obese is a bad situation, it's more than fat, it's more than overfat, I think it's something like over 50% total body weight is fat.

 

[kenobi65]

I tend to agree (but then, I don't have kids, so I don't get a vote, right?)

My nephew is 7 years old, and I'm seriously concerned about him. Now, he has likely got some "fat genes", since both of his parents are big (and always have been). But, my sister-in-law has particularly bad dietary habits (including being the single-biggest-contributor to Frito-Lay's bottom line), and she lets him snack on junk food continuously.

He's always been a round kid, but he's got a double chin now. At 7! I'm not sure if this qualifies as neglect, but it's surely foolish behavior on her part, and is setting him up for problems down the line. (And, she has a number of health problems that are undoubtedly related to her weight, so one might think she'd know better....sigh...)

 

[frankthedm]

He's always been a round kid, but he's got a double chin now. At 7! I'm not sure if this qualifies as neglect, but it's surely foolish behavior on her part,

I'd call it neglect. Sounds like they both need to do more walking and less eating.

On the most part the 'secret' to loosing weight is burning off more than one takes in. Unfortunatly, this means the person has to be willing to be uncomfortable. The body wants to store fat, it likes fat. It's rigged to think there is not enough food for you or your offspring. Anytime you strain it or fail to give your body food, it makes you feel something is wrong.

 

[kenobi65]

I'd call it neglect. Sounds like they both need to do more walking and less eating.

In the case of my sister-in-law, absolutely on both counts.

In the case of my nephew...he's a dang active kid. He's just constantly shoveling potato chips into his mouth.

I just don't want him to be Dudley Dursley in another few years.

 

[papastebu]

In the case of my sister-in-law, absolutely on both counts.

In the case of my nephew...he's a dang active kid. He's just constantly shoveling potato chips into his mouth.

I just don't want him to be Dudley Dursley in another few years.

I have to ask, does he have a wizard living under his stairs?
I would go with the idea that your kid getting fat would be more OVER-attentive than neglectful. "Clean your plate" was a sort of litany while I was growing up, but my mom kept good balanced meals a priority, apparently, because I didn't get fat until I left home for college. A whole lot of overweight/obesity stems from what and how often we eat, rather than how much at one sitting. Of course, it can go the other way, too. Some children are natural non-eaters, and their parents allow this.
Parents who give their kids whatever they want to eat are likely opting for the easiest solution to hunger, or, giving in to the whims of their child to avoid being "mean" to them. There are good ways to circumvent both problems, but they have to include the parent giving careful attention to what goes into the kid's mouth.

 

[Jesus_marley]

As a former fat kid (and now a fat adult) I am torn as to how I feel regarding this issue.

I was always a big kid, but I never had a double chin. I think the key was that although I was active, I was never as active as the thinner kids. I was never into sports so my activity would tend towards general unspecified play. the point here though is that I was active. Today, I see kids who are 5 or 6 years old being pushed around in a freaking stroller because they are too damn lazy to walk... and the parents encourage it!

The problem is at least twofold. a lack of activity and overly permissive parents. Those wonderful paragons of virtue that say "I won't deny little Johnny anything that he wants because it might damage his fragile little personality."

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I'll add a third fold (and chin): so much of our food is processed and pre-prepared most people don't have a clue as to the nutritional values of the foods they consume, and what effects it has on their bodies.

I lost 50lbs my first semester in college by quitting soft drinks cold-turkey and participating in all (yes, all) of the intramural sports.

Many years later, when I was diagnosed with asymptomatic extremely high blood pressure due to an incredibly rare level of sensitivity to sodium intake, I was put on diuretics and cut my sodium intake to 1/5th of USA normal. Because my intake was already 1/2 normal, and I didn't and still don't use table salt- it took my MD almost a year to make the diagnosis.

I had to clean out my fridge, freezer and pantry, and radically adjust my shopping and dining habits. A typical can of Campbell's soup or a regular sized Quizno's sub contained nearly my entire daily sodium intake. A can of green beans might have 2/3ds of it.

So I had to buy more fresh & frozen veggies, or low sodium canned food- tough to find- and be very careful about my alcohol, meat & dairy selections. Even certain seasonings had to be left behind, and I had to cook at home more often (no big deal- I'm a good cook and I like to do it). However, many of my recipes had to be radically tweeked.

I dropped 20lbs of water weight in the first 2 weeks after the MD's diagnosis.

Am I skinny? Nah- I have other issues besides- but I'm definitely healthier than before.

When you shop for your groceries, and if you must eat out, read the labels & empower yourself! Most chains will have their nutrition info online or in their stores (where they're supposed to always have it, but they exploit certain loopholes).

 

[kenobi65]

I have to ask, does he have a wizard living under his stairs?

LOL. No, they live in a ranch-style house with no basement. No stairs for his skinny cousin to live under whatsoever.

Parents who give their kids whatever they want to eat are likely opting for the easiest solution to hunger, or, giving in to the whims of their child to avoid being "mean" to them. There are good ways to circumvent both problems, but they have to include the parent giving careful attention to what goes into the kid's mouth.

Yeah, I think that's part of it in this case. My nephew will throw a conniption-fit at the drop of a hat, over anything and nothing, and so he's figured out how to get my in-laws to give him whatever he wants.

The other half of it is that my sister-in-law has horrific dietary habits (not that mine are great, but hers are even worse), and he's just patterning on her.

And, as far as activity -- this kid plays soccer, goes to tae kwon do, is constantly running around the neighborhood with his friends, but it appears that he's just taking in far too much, and of the wrong stuff.