Tory leader, David Cameron, claimed yesterday that obese people only have themselves to blame. He argued that social problems were often the the consequence of individuals’ choices. Meanwhile, UK obesity statistics say around 10% of UK children are now diagnosed as overweight, and between 2 and 3 % as obese. Doctors are struggling to see what can be done to shift an entire generation’s eating habits. So, if obesity is not a disease, would it help to ban marketing of food towards kids?
The concept of restrictions of access to junk food is being debated around the world, as governments are choosing to step in and attempting to halt the increase in numbers of overweight and obese children and adults. Manufacturers, including Kraft Foods, Mars, Nestlé, Unilever and General Mills have agreed that they will not advertise food and drink on the television, in print or on the Internet to young children, or promote products in primary schools.
However, Dr David Ashton, an epidemiologist at Imperial College London has argued that scientific evidence doesn’t support the evidence that ads are influencing children’s diets. In Sweden for example, where there are strict laws outlawing food ads which target children, has similar obesity rates as the UK. However, Dr Martin Caraher, Reader in Food and Health Policy, Institute of Health Sciences, City University, London says it is also important to point out that Swedish children are subject to a wide range of marketing activities not covered by the ban which only applies to broadcast media.
From my own point of view, growing up in Sweden is very different to the UK where for example schools never serve ‘junk food’ to its pupils. You would learn to live a completely different lifestyle which I think would affect your adult life and in the long run lead to a healthier nation.
Perhaps this goes hand in hand with the UK statistics saying that fewer than 5% of children walk or cycle to school, compared with 80%, 20 years ago. And many schools are blamed for adding to the problem by selling off playing fields, having no proper sports halls and doing too little to offer healthy lunches. So, would banning food adverts help, or is it all too late?
For more information see Indulgence and Health In Confectionery: Emerging natural, functional and wellness trends
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July 11th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Consumption of food though is of course an issue. In Europe, children consume more than the population average in many energy-dense, indulgence food and drink categories. European kids consume 17% more than the population average in confectionery (9.8% UK), 23% in Savoury Snacks (20.4% UK), almost 26% in Ice Cream (27.5% UK), and 33% in fizzy drinks (31.4% UK). Furthermore, a reliance on packaged food to provide balanced nutrition has led to many children accessing a diet that is geared too much towards convenience rather than balanced nourishment. In the western world children are now suffering because their diet is not balanced and is too rich in calories.
Obesogenic environments and lifestyles contribute to growing childhood obesity
Much of the problem of childhood obesity is that the conditions for its prevalence are so rife, making a healthy weight more difficult to maintain. Modern lifestyles can encourage bad eating and exercise habits, which make keeping slim a difficult goal to achieve. In countries where many retail developments and leisure venues are increasingly located on the periphery of urban centres the importance of the motor car is likely to continue unchallenged unless either regulation or the cost of ownership makes cars less affordable.
The situation of more children travelling to school by car or public transport may become more extreme in future if more children travel greater distances to access the best-ranked schools in a parallel of more adults commuting to work over greater distances. With a growing dependence on cars and public transport to travel ever further to school, fewer children are regularly benefiting from the moderate exercise of walking, which limits the amount of ‘unnoticed’ exercise taken by children.