‘Global Epidemic’ of Childhood Inactivity

[Ming the Merciless]

This is very worrying .

'Global epidemic' of childhood inactivity https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-50466061

 

[steveindenmark]

Its been going on for years.

 

[screenman]

There is a tv program on next week about this problem, it goes inside a children's obesity clinic.

Wednesday March 4, 9:00pm - 10:00pm on Channel 4


100 Kilo Kids: Obesity SOS
With half of Britain's children overweight, a look at patients and specialist NHS staff on obesity's front line, including 15-year-old Harry, whose hip has collapsed due to his weight.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

There is a tv program on next week about this problem, it goes inside a children's obesity clinic.

View attachment 506459
Wednesday March 4, 9:00pm - 10:00pm on Channel 4


100 Kilo Kids: Obesity SOS
With half of Britain's children overweight, a look at patients and specialist NHS staff on obesity's front line, including 15-year-old Harry, whose hip has collapsed due to his weight.

Thanks, have set it to record

 

[Andy in Germany]

I always surprises me when I go to the UK to see how tubby many children are.

I remember someone saying that in a normal class now, the two fittest children have the same level of fittness as the least fittest two children about 30 years ago.

 

[screenman]

Andy, just moving about the country gives you a change in size, we were down south, well Staines to be precise last week and obesity is certainly not as widespread as up north. Even standing in Turkey airport last year we noticed the size of people waiting for Gatwick were smaller by far than the people waiting for Leeds Bradford.

 

[MontyVeda]

I blame the parents!

It's odd looking at the way my brother wouldn't let his kids go out to play unsupervised until they were about 10 or 11, but when me and he were kids, from about the age of 6 or 7, we were 'kicked' out after breakfast and told not to come back 'til dinner time, then kicked out again and told not to come back 'til tea time. We had so much fun building dams, climbing trees or onto sheds and garages, making ramps for our bikes, pretending to be stuntmen which was all the more fun because there wasn't a grown up watching over us. His kids weren't 'inactive' mind... they were taken out often enough to play and on walks and the like, and they're certainly not obese either... but i find it sad that his kids (and many others) didn't get the same freedom that we had in the 70s.

 

[Drago]

At Mini D's primary school 99% of children are driven there, despite the catchment being the 400 metre radius that encompasses the village. I mean, a 5 minute walk there and another 5 minutes back really is too onerous for most parents.

Anyway, the head teacher (and all credit to her) has become so concerned that after morning assembly any kids that were driven to school have to walk the "Daily Mile", 4 laps of the all weather running track. It's voluntary for children that walk to school, although most still do the walk, but they get the luxury of staying inside if it's chucking it down while the chauffeur driven sprogs still have to do it in the dire weather too

After the initial whining from overweight, self entitled, car driving, laze-bot parents, things have settled down. Attendance, academic performance and behaviour have all markedly improved.

 

[MontyVeda]

By junior school age, we were considered old enough to take ourselves to school. I think the media driven paedo-geddon of the 90s has got a lot to answer for.

 

[Andy in Germany]

By junior school age, we were considered old enough to take ourselves to school. I think the media driven paedo-geddon of the 90s has got a lot to answer for.

That's a good point. Children here walk to school from their first year (6) and by the time they are seven are walking alone. I think they have to be 9 or 10 before they can take the cycle training test (In school time, run by the police) and then they can ride to school, alone.

 

[Julia9054]

I blame the parents!

It's odd looking at the way my brother wouldn't let his kids go out to play unsupervised until they were about 10 or 11, but when me and he were kids, from about the age of 6 or 7, we were 'kicked' out after breakfast and told not to come back 'til dinner time, then kicked out again and told not to come back 'til tea time. We had so much fun building dams, climbing trees or onto sheds and garages, making ramps for our bikes, pretending to be stuntmen which was all the more fun because there wasn't a grown up watching over us. His kids weren't 'inactive' mind... they were taken out often enough to play and on walks and the like, and they're certainly not obese either... but i find it sad that his kids (and many others) didn't get the same freedom that we had in the 70s.

One word.
Traffic.

 

[Rusty Nails]

I find it sad and ironic that the UK, where so many people buy and wear sports clothing, is getting to be the European capital of fatness and unfitness.

I read a quote a couple of weeks ago that described youngsters along the lines of "the first generation to not play outside".

I really am at a loss to understand what can be done to reverse this trend, but it doesn't augur well for the future.

Obviously the government and schools could help resolve some of the problems but, at the end of the day, parents must get their acts together if they do not want to see their kids live shorter, even unhealthier lives than them.

 

[Drago]

Exert some parental control over their games consoles and mobile phones, and stop driving them to school. It's that simple.

One word.
Traffic.

Which by and large would not exist but for the school run.

 

[Julia9054]

I find it sad and ironic that the UK, where so many people buy and wear sports clothing, is getting to be the European capital of fatness and unfitness.

I read a quote a couple of weeks ago that described youngsters along the lines of "the first generation to not play outside".

I really am at a loss to understand what can be done to reverse this trend, but it doesn't augur well for the future.

Obviously the government and schools could help resolve some of the problems but, at the end of the day, parents must get their acts together if they do not want to see their kids live shorter, even unhealthier lives than them.

Traffic free residential streets. There are simply far more cars than there were in the 1970s You can't let your children out to play if they are going to get run over. This has to be built into town planning and traffic management policy.
Parents haven't changed. I played out in the 1970s/80s but my mum didn't take me places - she was busy. Parents today are also busy.
Blame government policy prioritising cars and street design not parents

 

[Julia9054]

Which by and large would not exist but for the school run.

If that were true, the roads would be deserted the rest of the time. They are not. There are simply far more cars now than there were in the 1970s