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One in 10 Shropshire children starts school overweight
Wednesday 19th January 2011, 1:00PM GMT.
One in 10 four- to five-year-old children starting school across the whole of Shropshire is obese, which is above the national average, new figures show.
Council and health officials today said reducing obesity in primary school children was still a “priority”.
The figures, for the academic year 2009/10, show 10.3 per cent of reception age children in the Shropshire Council part of the county and 10.6 per cent in Telford & Wrekin are classed as obese.
Both figures are over the national average of 9.8 per cent with a rise on the 2008/09 level for Shropshire of 9.2 per cent and a dip of one per cent in Telford & Wrekin.
The number of children in year six – aged 10 to 11 – who are classed as obese in Shropshire is 17.6 per cent – just below the national average of 18.7 per cent and the same as the 2008/09 level for the county.
For the same age group in Telford & Wrekin 20.1 per cent of children are classed as obese – a minor decrease on the 2008/09 statistics.
The figures equate to 246 children at reception age and 408 in year six in the Shropshire Council area and a further 173 reception and 325 year six pupils in the Telford area.
Janet Graham, assistant director for multi-agency and prevention at Shropshire Council, said: “Reducing obesity in primary school age children is a priority of Shropshire Council, through the children and young people’s plan, and partner organisations.”
Dr Catherine Woodward, director of public health for NHS Telford & Wrekin, said: “Our award winning YW8? family weight management programme for eight to 13-year-olds has now been extended to include local delivery of the national MEND programme for five- to seven-year-olds.”
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I think its wrong to point these figures at impressionable children. I was an over weight child and it was hell, but when I progressed to secondary school I was as skinny as a bean pole. Children Change as they grow. this is yet another scare figure and I beleive that its a waste of money and children should not have to worry about their shape / size at their age.
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And so the stigma of being overweight starts.
At such a young age they are being told they are fat. Surely at the age of 4 they can be allowed to grow and slim down as they normally do. I know there are some that do need help and this is visible to even the untrained but to label them at such an early age is awful.
If they educate healthy eating to a 4 year old it means nothing – It’s the parents who need educating together with a little tact.
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This is more a point for debate than a statement, a point for consideration perhaps.
A reasonably common sight in the supermarkets are the younger parents who accompanied by a clutch of young children have a trolley(s)that are stacked high with ready meals, white bread, ready made pizza, pre-cut frozen chips, microwave pies & burgers & numerous bottles of own brand pop. No fruit or veg in sight. No ingrediants, only finished products.
Please don’t attack me for this but my experience is that these families are commonly seen in the ‘lower-end’ supermarkets.
Question – Is there a link between income & weight! Is their a link between eductaion / awareness & weight.
Their purchases must work out far more expensive then the required ingreidants for the same number of meals but above all there can be no consideration towards the ‘unseen’ contents. My money is that only the finished product description is considered while the ingrediants are not.
This is not a ‘pop’ at the supermarkets or the food they sell.
Further, I agree with the common theme above that children change shape with time. Mine changed (from angels to devils)almost weekly I’m sure. Awarness not labels.
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Whilst it’s certainly true that we have many people who eat unhealthily, and have apprently lost the skill to prepare food from fresh, non-processed ingredients, it’s also the case that studies have shown that 75% of the factors contributing to people being overweight are hereditary, and genetic. And why wouldn’t they be? We don’t expect people with short genes to somehow make themselves taller, nor vice-versa – why do we expect people with a pre-disposition to be overweight to magically become thin?
So we shouldn’t assume that because someone is overweight that they are a) lazy, b) have a poor diet c) don’t exercise or d) are stupid (this last one is pure prejudice but is increasingly the way in which overweight people are portrayed.)
I’ve always struggled wth my weight. Yet I exercise, both cycling to work and playing competitive sport, I eat far less than many of my thinner peers as far as I can tell,and certainly far less in the way of crisps, chocolate etc. and eat meals cooked from fresh ingredients. My blood pressure and cholestorol levels are good, and I haven’t taken a day off sick from work in over 10 years, so I must be doing something right!
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I can agree with you on that. I cycle roughly 16 miles a day to and from work and I’m still the size of a house.
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I confirm the above. Probably more like a block of flats.
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Thanks, bro.
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“75% of the factors contributing to people being overweight are hereditary, and genetic” … yes and if these people ate a lot less then they wouldn’t be fat. Genetically fat people might actually have more efficient systems than thin people and they extract a lot more from the food they eat. Regardless of how much your thin friends eat, if you are fat then you need to eat a lot less. Do not compare whats on your plat to whats on someone else’s plate.
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Fat kids, skinny kids – who cares? Let them enjoy their childhood without worrying if they’re thin like the latest fashion model.
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It amazes me how many people think the word obese is pronounced “a beast”.
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and the story is what
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It’s called “puppy fat” they are not overweight. This obsession with BMI is out of control, especially when it involves children who usually lose their fat as they grow.
Totally agree with post 1.
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I think that there is a big difference between “obese”and carrying a bit of puppy fat. There are certainly far more “Obese” adults than I ever remember seeing in my 50 odd years on this planet.
When I was at school I remember approximately 3 or 4 overweight kids in each year, now it seems that every class has 3-4.
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What do people think about the Coalition government turning to McDonald’s, Walkers, KFC, PepsiCo and Mars for advice drawing up their policy on obesity and diet-related diseases?
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Might not be such a bad idea, basically the firms you mention have managed to sell what amounts to……
….not very nice or wholesome products to almost everyone on the globe and made huge mountains of money doing so over decades.
imagine how well they could do selling a good product.
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They are not trying to sell a good product, Rik.
Surely the bottom line for these firms is to maximise their profits by getting people to each as much of their unhealthy product as possible.
If we genuinely want to cut obesity rates, our government should be pushing in the opposite direction to these companies and regulating them properly.
We should be restricting advertising during children’s programmes and preventing fast-food and soft drinks companies from targeting their marketing at children below a certain age.
Would you hand over government policy on smoking to tobacco companies because they have made mountains of money selling unhealthy products, Rik?
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short answer.
Yes, as long as they were new healthier product streams, nicotine patches/gum etc that would aid giving up.
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Cigarette companies are as likely to want us to stop buying cigarettes as fastfood companies are to want us to stop buying burgers, sugared drinks and artery-clogging food, Rik?
In Morgan Spurlock’s film about McDonald’s, Supersize Me, I must have missed the bit about ‘new healthier product streams’.
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It does seem we have a lot of fatties about . The facts are the parent is a often a fattie and so stuffs the child like they are fattening up a Xmas turkey . All children should be weighed on entry in to the school system if they are obese they need to be put on a controlled diet and the parent educated on healthy eating and exercise.Now the main problem is we do have a nation where a large proportion are fat combine that with teachers not wanting the extra work load dealing with fat kids and probably fat work associates empathising with the fat kids we could end up going around in circles . However if all the fatties keep going onthe way they are paying pensions will not be a problem for future generations and it may also sort out the global over crowding we hear talk about these days.
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Nice.
State control of people’s lives and eugenics.
I wonder what you’d have been doing if you lived in Germany 75 years ago?
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So we complain that media gives kids the idea to be too skinny and creates bulimics and anorexics and then we decide that if they are a 1lb over the BMI ratio for their height they need to go on a diet.
No wonder kids haven’t got a clue, as long as they are eating a healthy diet it makes no difference what a kid weighs and anyone who makes such an issue of a child’s weight is as bad as the school bully
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Ok, so the form the body shape takes is hereditary & some are tall while some a short while others are fat while others are thin etc etc etc.
Being tall or short (expect perhaps in the extremes) is not generally considered to be a hazardous to you health (banging your head on the door frame or perhaps being trampled in the sales are possible exceptions)yet being over or underweight are hazardous to ones health and well being while the difference being is that the individual can take steps to control their diet.
Yes, there will be exceptions and yes I am making broad statements, but to my knowledge (& I’m not a doctor) the majority of our attributes are here to stay (surgical enhancements asides)& we can by way of what we eat do little to affect them. Wieght / obesity is different kettle of fish.
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If it is all down to hereditary factors, Buskerman, and we can do little to affect our weight, why is obesity less of a problem in other European countries?
Sweden bans advertising of fast-food and soft drinks aimed at under-12s.
Sweden has lower obesity rates.
Would you not say that these two facts are related?
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Sorry Huw. Its obvious that I have not made myself clear. I am not saying that its all down to hereditary factors, far from it in fact.
See Peter(#3 above). He’s playing the hereditary card. The point I failed to convey is that I disagree with him.
Sure, there will be a few who can rightly claim herediatry influences are behind their weight while I am saying that ones weight is probably the only hereditary characteristic we can influence (without surgery) and thats done by way of a healthy diet!
I believe that the parents influence by example & practice the fact that thier children are overwieght. Peter says “studies show…..”. Studies & statistics can generally be concluded to show whatever you want them to & I am always sceptical of them. Fat kids from fat parents. Fat kids become fat parents and the cycle continues. Thats not hereditary as ‘in the genes’. It’s hereditary yes but by the passing down of poor example.
Peter also exercised & participated in active sports & I congratulate him & ask how big would he have been had he not have exercised?.
I’m 5’10 & 15 1/2 stone. I have been as big as 17 stone (recently) I’m probably obese. I drink a lot & enjoy food. My parents are tee-total and lightweight.
Anybody going to claim to be big boned?
Huw, I hope the above goes someway to clarifying my stance.
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Clear as mud. Thanks, Buskerman.
What is your stance on junkfood companies targeting their marketing and advertising at children under 12?
This is against the law in Sweden, where far fewer children start school overweight.
Would it not be better for our government to regulate junkfood companies’ marketing and prevent them from targeting this age group?
Or do you agree with Rik that the government should be inviting the makers of sugared drinks and fatty foods to draw up our country’s anti-obesity policy?
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I am more concerned that 66% of children go to school in sparkly top hats.
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It all depends on how “obese” is defined. Being a normal size is obese, it seems…
http://www.shropshirestar.com/latest/2010/03/17/is-this-little-boy-obese/
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thats disgusting they should be send to bootcamps and the parents to jail for letting them get that way
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I really do think the Shropshire Star should hire a better photographer. The one he took of those children is more than a little blurry.
Anyway, as any man will tell you, size really doesn’t matter. When it comes to health, we shouldn’t look at weight or waist size.
If the kids are eating turkey twizzlers every night before spending 6 hours on their PlayStation, they can still be scrawny. And you find children who have a balanced diet and do exercise who can’t shift their puppy fat.
Council give the kids a break from the “oi fatty” and parents take responsibility for your childs health. That’s all it takes really
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If parents want to take responsibility for their child’s health and that of other children, I recommend a brilliant online article on this subject by Sharon Beder called ‘Turning Children into Consumers’.
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