I have been troubled by the tone of a lot of the media coverage relating to the “child obesity epidemic”. Not only is it alarmist, it is shaming overweight youngsters, painting them in a poor light. I believe that “fat prejudice” is the last frontier of discrimination and accepted abuse in our society and it must be tackled. When faced with anorexia, body dysmorphia and bulimia in young people, the tone is affectionate, empathetic and understanding. Children are not overweight simply because they are “greedy and lazy”. What an ignorant and unhelpful way to see any health issue!  The solution requires a multifaceted approach, similar to how we help individuals with their weight at our clinics:

1. Nutritional awareness and understanding of portion sizes – many parents are not aware of how much is enough for children and there are very few resources educating them on this. Many are also unaware what foods are healthy and in what balance. Label-reading of ready-made foods, frozen meals and ready-made snacks and sandwiches will show just how many calories and how much saturated fat is packed in to these foods. There are ways to economically create balanced meals for children and the rest of the family.

2. Children generally echo their parents’ eating and exercise habits. Healthy children usually have healthy parents. It’s important for parents to take the lead in showing children how and what to eat and the importance of regular fun exercise and play.

3. If a child is already overweight and has been bullied or pointed out, emotional issues will play a role in their eating. It’s important that they are given the opportunity to talk to people who care and ideally have access to professional emotional support to help them return to healthy habits.