American Children Are Fat

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But British kiddies are getting fat at twice the rate of Americans.

Some things just shouldn't be imported, gents.

A shocking picture of the way children are gorging themselves on sweets, chocolates and snacks was revealed yesterday.

They are getting fat almost twice as quickly as American youngsters as they eat double the amount of sugary and savoury treats.

The disturbing figures suggest that Government efforts to turn back the tide of obesity overwhelming the country's children are failing.

Independent research company Datamonitor said average annual spending on sweets and chocolates for children in this country is £372 - equivalent to around 850 Mars bars. That is more than double the £150 for American youngsters.

The amount spent on savoury snacks such as crisps is put at £73.24 in the UK, compared with £39.51 in the U.S.

British children also eat more sugary breakfast cereals, ice cream and ready meals.
More than one in three British children aged five to 13 are already overweight or obese.

But that figure is predicted to soar at a rate of 2.1 per cent a year through to 2014, far higher than the 1.3 per cent annual rise expected for the U.S.
And by 2014, some 38.6 per cent of UK youngsters - a total of 2.5million - will be too heavy.

The study comes despite a series of promises by food companies to improve their ingredients and reduce portion sizes of chocolate bars, fast food and crisps.

It will reawaken fears after MPs warned in 2004 that children were 'choking on their own fat' and said they would be 'the first generation to die before their parents as a consequence of obesity'.

The MPs on the Health Select Committee painted a woeful picture of large numbers of people being disfigured and blinded by weight-related diseases such as diabetes.

'The sight of amputees will become much more familiar in the streets,' it said. 'There will be many more blind people. There will be huge demand for kidney dialysis.'

Kidney failure, blindness and amputations can all result from diabetes.

Social changes may be largely responsible for rising childhood obesity.
For example, with more mothers going out to work or unused to cooking, children often live on takeaways or ready meals.
If they are looked after by grandparents, they may be indulged with unhealthy treats.

An analysis of 12,000 three-year-olds suggested the risk of being overweight was 34 per cent higher if grandparents cared for them full time.
At the same time youngsters are taking less exercise but spending more time watching TV, playing computer games and on the internet.

Jackie Schneider, of the Children's Food Campaign, said: 'Childhood obesity is a very worrying trend. However we can do something about it.

'Banning junk food advertising on TV before the 9pm watershed, using traffic light labelling on food packaging and increasing eligibility of free school meals are effective ways of changing children's eating habits.

'Initiatives such as providing fresh drinking water in parks would also help children and families to make healthier choices.

'The problem we face is that many of these solutions are opposed by the food industry who see them as a threat to their profits. We need the Government to put the long-term health of our children first.'

However the Food and Drink Federation, which speaks for manufacturers, rejected the Datamonitor predictions.

Spokesman Julian Hunt said Department of Health figures published earlier this year appear to show the historical rise in obesity levels among young children had 'levelled off'.

He said: 'Nobody is being complacent. We agree that childhood obesity levels are still too high in the UK and we look forward to working in partnership with the new Government on any initiatives designed to help consumers of all ages lead healthier lives.'

He said other studies suggested that fewer snacks and chocolate bars were now being bought.
Source:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...dren-getting-fatter-twice-rate-Americans.html
 
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Snap, it looks like we need to start cutting down on the crumpets. I admit I'm surprised by the findings, the percentage difference between us an the US is especially shocking. Advertising doesn't seem to be the problem, McDonalds seem to only promote fruit bags and Jamie Oliver appears too often for his own good.
 
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First our stupid trends, now our obesity! IS NOTHING SACRED!?
 
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I wonder when we'll stop letting free enterprise enslave us, indirectly?

The FDA or FDF are terrorist organizations.
 
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Daily Mail, nice source
But yeah, there's too many fat british kids because there's a lot of busy parents, or fat parents
 
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They're both very right wing and both probably trying to say that labour have been waisting a lot of money trying to tackle the issue and getting nowhere over the past 13 years. Doesn't mean I would discredit the figures though, they sound like they could be right. But fear not, with VAT increasing in January, and a ton of cuts in public services and tax increases, kids won't be stuffing their face while mommy and daddy will be trying to pay the mortgage, bills, income tax, council tax, national insurance, road tax etc etc....
 
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I believe "inept parents" and "people who should not be allowed to procreate" are the two main causes of every problem in the world; including obesity.

It's no huge surprise that another country is leaping ahead of the US in obesity. The preconditions just haven't been in place yet. Now they are. Even in a relatively slim country as Norway, the obesity epidemic is growing. I recommend forced exercise in schools to combat the problem, preferably with military instructors.
 
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I recommend forced exercise in schools to combat the problem, preferably with military instructors.
That would be a temporary solution for the kids(and a good one) but it doesn't solve the parents problem. We need to educate them not to eat too much(drastically reducing the junk food consumption,eating more healty), to exercise at least a few times a week and so on.
Because it all reflects in how they raise they children, passing on their ways of living and all.
It's a hard thing to do. Some of them don't even care. They like being fat. :/
Anyway, the Government in every country can change these things but i'm not sure if they want to.
 
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That would be a temporary solution for the kids(and a good one) but it doesn't solve the parents problem. We need to educate them not to eat too much(drastically reducing the junk food consumption,eating more healty), to exercise at least a few times a week and so on.
Because it all reflects in how they raise they children, passing on their ways of living and all.
It's a hard thing to do. Some of them don't even care. They like being fat. :/
Anyway, the Government in every country can change these things but i'm not sure if they want to.
It's not temporary at all. Instil a good sense of discipline in them when it comes to exercise, and there will be no more obesity, because they'll burn off all the energy they don't need, as well as gain more muscle mass. The result is fitter and happier youth. Obviously it would be great if people listened to common sense, but you realize that most of these kids KNOW that what they're doing is stupid, yet they do it, right? Education can't solve everything. Discipline and education together, however, could do a whole lot of good.
 
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What i meant with temporary is what happens after they finish school.
But of course, discipline is very important.
 
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Discipline isn't something that just disappears. This is examplified by the fact that all Norwegian men over the age of 20 know how to thoroughly clean any room. How? The military made them do it. Weeks of training that made it stick. Habit that doesn't die easy. That, and they know how to kill a man in seventy different ways now. I'm not sure we should teach that to kids though.

On a side-note:

Holy ****, I can't believe the US allows/allowed the use of 12.7 mm multipurpose ammunition against human beings. Granted, we're the ones making it, but still. That's ****ing crazy.
 
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I believe "inept parents" and "people who should not be allowed to procreate" are the two main causes of every problem in the world; including obesity.

It's no huge surprise that another country is leaping ahead of the US in obesity. The preconditions just haven't been in place yet. Now they are. Even in a relatively slim country as Norway, the obesity epidemic is growing. I recommend forced exercise in schools to combat the problem, preferably with military instructors.
There is forced exercise here, it's compulsory until the age of 16, but children either skip it through truancy, or through "sick notes" that they ask their parents/doctors for
 
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Your exercise is not disciplined nor is it military, though. We have the same here; but there should be consequences for missing it. There's no excuse not to exercise.
 
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