One in five children in the UK children leaving primary school are obese and many parents are unable to tell when their own child is overweight.
It appears that as a society we have adjusted to overweight as being the norm.
When one in three children at primary school is overweight, it is perhaps not surprising that it is hard to identify when a child has a problem.
Consultant paediatrician Professor Mary Rudolf, who advises the government on obesity, said many parents would not know that “a healthy 10-year-old’s ribs should be clearly visible. Many parents would consider that such a child was quite underweight.”
But there is key official advice for helping children maintain a healthy weight.
Lead by example
Experts believe one of the most powerful ways to encourage your child to eat well and be active is to do so yourself, as children learn by example.
Researchers have found that the risk of a girl being obese at the age of eight was significantly raised – a ten-fold increase in fact – if her mother was obese.
The risk for a boy was increased six-fold if his father was obese.
NHS Choices advises that any changes made to a child’s diet and lifestyle are much more likely to be accepted if the changes involve the whole family.
So instead of watching TV as a family, go out for a walk, ride a bike or play with them in the park.
Encourage exercise
Children are recommended to have 60 minutes of exercise a day but this does not have to be done all at once.
It can be done in several short 10 or five-minute bursts of activity throughout the day.
Overweight children do not need to do more exercise than slimmer children, as their extra body weight means they will naturally burn more calories for the same activity.
Swapping the car for walking or cycling on small journeys is seen as an easy way to get the whole family moving.
Eat healthily
Children, like adults, should aim to eat five or more portions of fruit and vegetables everyday.
Experts say unsweetened 100% fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies should only count as one portion of a child’s five a day, however many are drunk.
NHS Choices says that when fruit is blended or juiced, it releases the sugars which increase the risk of tooth decay so it is best to drink fruit juice or smoothies at meal times.
Sugary drinks have no place in a child’s diet according to Change4Life.
Around 30% of the sugar in kids’ diets comes from sugary drinks, such as fizzy pop, juice drinks, squashes, cordials, energy drinks and juice.
The maximum daily amounts of added sugar for children are:
- 4-6 years old – 5 cubes of sugar or 19 grams
- 7-10 years old – 6 cubes of sugar or 24 grams
- over 11 – 7 cubes of sugar or 30 grams
One can of coke can have up to nine cubes of sugar in it.
Child-size portions
There is very little official guidance on precisely how much food children require.
But experts advise avoiding adult-size plates for younger children as it encourages them to eat more than they need.
Other tips include starting meals with small servings and letting your child ask for more if they are still hungry.
Also try not to make your child finish everything on their plate or eat more than they want to.
It is also advised that children should be encouraged to eat slowly; and it helps to have set meal times.
More sleep/less technology
Sleep is important for children as it has been shown that those who do not have the recommended amount of sleep are more likely to be overweight.
Researchers found that those children who had less sleep in their earlier years were at greater risk of having a higher Body Mass Index at age seven.
This link continued even when other risk factors, such as gender and physical activity, were accounted for in their research.
Using fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging), poor sleep has been shown to affect the brain areas responsible for complex decision-making, and our response to rewards, causing us to favour unhealthy foods.
Although getting the recommended amount of sleep at night is encouraged, sitting and lying around too much in the day makes children more likely to put on weight.
Experts advise that children should watch no more than two hours of television each day.
Parents are encouraged to remove all screens, including mobile phones, from their bedroom at night.