The amount of children in the UK who are obese is increasing to dangerous amounts. Since the 1980s obesity in children has rocketed. 80% of children who were obese as a child are obese as an adult and have serious health issues. Children become obese when they are getting energy from food and then not using that energy therefore turning to fat. 14% of boys are obese in the UK and 17% of girls are obese. To maintain a healthy weight, a child should be doing at least 60 minutes of physical activity. This can include walking or cycling to school instead of getting a lift, or playing outside after school instead of watching the television or playing on games consoles. The amount of exercise children receive in school during a P.E lesson is not enough to keep children at a healthy weight. An unhealthy diet also contributes to a child becoming obese.

Children’s eating habits are easier to change than adults. Extreme diets should not be used on children but instead helping them to maintain the weight while they grow, therefore will grow into the fat they have. This is also known as ‘puppy fat’. Parents can also help to keep their children at a healthy weight by monitoring what they are eating through the day. This can be done by sending them to school with a packed lunch instead of a hot lunch. If children do not have the money to spend on high fat foods they are more likely to eat a balanced diet. Three quarters of parents believe their children to be at a normal weight when actually they are obese. Ways in which parents can monitor there children’s weight is to check their BMI. BMI is a way of telling whether the child is at a normal healthy weight, under weight, over weight and obese. This can be done by the local G.P. if the parent is worried.

The health problems involved in childhood obesity are:

• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Early heart disease
• Diabetes
• Bone problems
• Skin conditions such as heat rash, fungal infections, and acne