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Obesity in Children
BillieTheBot
Posts: 8,721 Bot
Following on (kind of) from BlackArab's thread, I just can't quite understand why people are getting fatter now.
According to DEFRA (pdf file), calorie consumption has gone down 13% in the previous decade to 1998, and the amount of energy gained from fat has decreased too. people are taking in fewer calories than they were in 1950, so why are people getting fatter?
I blame exercise, but I don't blame computer games. It's no wonder that kids don't get a chance to "play out" anymore, given the rise in homework anf given the decreasing time given over to PE and just playing in the playground or yard during lunch breaks. We only had ONE HOUR of PE a week, and only a 40 minute lunch break- it's no wonder children aren't getting to be active. Add to that the two to three hours of homework a day, more on weekends, and it's no wonder kids simply aren't getting the exercise.
It's convenient to blame fatty foods and sweet drinks for this rise, but I don't think it's true. People are eating less, and less fat, so the argument that it's all McDonald's fault really doesn't hold up; about weight itself at least.
I simply blame the fact that children don't have an opportunity to be active anymore, and in the rare times that they are given a chance to be active appalling teaching ruins it. Take PE lessons, for instance- unless you were good enough to be on a school team, PE teachers couldn't give a toss. In fact, if you were crap at sport you will be openly mocked- it's no wonder that those who are crap at sport simply stop trying, and put on the pounds. Thats assuming that there's a field to have a PE lesson in anymore, of course.
Rather than blaming McDonald's, perhpas schools should be taking a good look at themselves. PE teachers are appalling, removing all desire to be active, and there is no active time built into the school day for children anymore. There are no fields to be active on, even if there WAS the time. The trouble isn't so much the stodge that is being fed to children- not about weight, anyway- the trouble is that they don't have the opportunity to burn them off anymore. calorie intake has dropped by about 750 calories per day since 1958, but calorie consumption has dropped by about 1000 calories per day. And the blame for that rests solely with schools- even if the children had the desire to be active, too much schoolwork and too much homework makes it impossible. But many don't any more, because PE teachers beat it out of everyone.
Nutrients, of course, are a different argument, and then McDonald's CAN be blamed, as can the horrednous stodgey fatty slop that passes for a school "meal" these days.
According to DEFRA (pdf file), calorie consumption has gone down 13% in the previous decade to 1998, and the amount of energy gained from fat has decreased too. people are taking in fewer calories than they were in 1950, so why are people getting fatter?
I blame exercise, but I don't blame computer games. It's no wonder that kids don't get a chance to "play out" anymore, given the rise in homework anf given the decreasing time given over to PE and just playing in the playground or yard during lunch breaks. We only had ONE HOUR of PE a week, and only a 40 minute lunch break- it's no wonder children aren't getting to be active. Add to that the two to three hours of homework a day, more on weekends, and it's no wonder kids simply aren't getting the exercise.
It's convenient to blame fatty foods and sweet drinks for this rise, but I don't think it's true. People are eating less, and less fat, so the argument that it's all McDonald's fault really doesn't hold up; about weight itself at least.
I simply blame the fact that children don't have an opportunity to be active anymore, and in the rare times that they are given a chance to be active appalling teaching ruins it. Take PE lessons, for instance- unless you were good enough to be on a school team, PE teachers couldn't give a toss. In fact, if you were crap at sport you will be openly mocked- it's no wonder that those who are crap at sport simply stop trying, and put on the pounds. Thats assuming that there's a field to have a PE lesson in anymore, of course.
Rather than blaming McDonald's, perhpas schools should be taking a good look at themselves. PE teachers are appalling, removing all desire to be active, and there is no active time built into the school day for children anymore. There are no fields to be active on, even if there WAS the time. The trouble isn't so much the stodge that is being fed to children- not about weight, anyway- the trouble is that they don't have the opportunity to burn them off anymore. calorie intake has dropped by about 750 calories per day since 1958, but calorie consumption has dropped by about 1000 calories per day. And the blame for that rests solely with schools- even if the children had the desire to be active, too much schoolwork and too much homework makes it impossible. But many don't any more, because PE teachers beat it out of everyone.
Nutrients, of course, are a different argument, and then McDonald's CAN be blamed, as can the horrednous stodgey fatty slop that passes for a school "meal" these days.
Beep boop. I'm a bot.
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Time for parents to put the lock on the comp and send the kiddies outside to play footie in the park!
Anyway my Dad who is 71 said its no wonder children are obese these days, when he went to school they had PE at least three times a week, they had swimming twice a week and on top of that they ran the track about twice a week.
what physical education do they do these days ? My Daughter only gets one half hour lesson a week swimming and thats when its their term to go, they go a term then miss a term. As far as PE I 'think' she does it about twice a week.
So yeah there should be more physical education because whats the point in trying to get youngsters to eat healthily if they dont excercise?
Also kids dont walk to school these days, most parents drive them.
My school doesn't have a 'healthy' eating policy except you cant just have chips by themselves :rolleyes:
I'd happily have more PE lessons, even in sixth form
When I was at school I was useless at most sports and I hated PE, but I did enjoy swimming and I was for a time in an after-school swimming club. I also did plenty of exercise at the Boy's Brigade and the Air Cadets. And my Primary school was within walking distance, so I walked there every day (of course that changed when I went to secondary school when I had to take the bus). So, a crap PE techer needn't be an excuse for taking no exercise.
you haven't been to our PE lessons. The teacher doesn't teach us. She plays music and lets us do what we want. Then she gets angry when we dont have a routine ready. Its not physical and its not eduacational, its shite. A crap PE teacher is partly a good excuse. They are there to teach. a bunch of kids aren't likely going to actually do work when they know they don't have to
However this doesn't stop me taking part and buring the calories etc, and I also go swimming frequently, but when I was younger I was encouraged to do that or otherwise I wouldn't have done, and now it is part of my routine. In my opinion anyway, if kids are encouraged to go to things like swimming clubs and to walk to the shop instead of getting a lift when they are little then when they get older they will do it automatically.
Thank you. autographs later
I remember my PE lessons. It consisted of those who were not "elite" chasing a football in the muck for an hour or two a week while the "elite" get expert after-school training for several hours a week.
Even though I've always been a little chubby, I actually enjoyed chasing that football and even at 19 I can't resist punting a ball over a few gardens. It builds character.
Every kid should participate in some sort of team sport as an extra curricular activity. The best can compete with other schools while the others can do just it for a laugh for an hour or 2 without fear of having a chain smoking ex-rugby hooker with a beer gut bellow in their ears.
Make PE more fun, less competative and compulsory. I remember the moment my gut expanded was the moment I stopped doing compulsory PE (A-Level)
I also can't help but notice the lack of PE for girls. At my old school girls did some bollocks like trampolening indoors while we ended up getting filthy playing Aussie Rules, Rugby, Football.
I still to this day hate athletics though :mad:
Especially the bi-annual 1500m death march.
Those two things are not mutually exclusive, y'know.
The thing is, I've never been good at sport, but I used to enjoy playing rugby. But because the diabolical standard of physical teaching in this country, I just stopped trying- if I'm going to keep getting mocked for trying but not quite doing it properly, then I'm not going to do it at all, and fuck them. Unless a person is good enough to be on the sports teams at schools, they may as well do fuck all- quite often on the cross-country running there'd be 20 of us walking at the back, because it wasn't worth the effort.
I blame PE teachers, and I always will. They are vermin- the quote on Red Dwarf "I have an IQ of 6,000- the same as 12,000 PE Teachers" is sadly all-too-true.
I don't get to go outside and play football with my mates because:
A) I don't have any friends outside school because due to the nature of my school, people come from miles away to come to my school, and so "calling on them" is not an option.
C) Going for a walk is no fun as there are townies on every corner waiting to do whatever townies do to pedestrians they don't like and the same when it comes to just going out on my bike. Staying inside and sitting here all the day is easier, cheaper and safer.
There we go. Kids will be more active when we abolish townism, though the easier option is stop wasting money on trips to Mars and stop demolishing playing fields in the name of housing.
Because of the ban on running, we all took to bringing in skipping ropes and playing with them instead. And then they got banned to as a "safety" hazard.
I think it is parents and teacher who are to blame for the obesity problem. Kids are now far to protected. Instead of walking to school they are driven, to protect them. Instead of playing on the playground, they are told they must walk. The irony is that although they are being protected in the short term, in the long term a grazed knee is much less serious than acquaried diabeties caused by being obese.
:yes: it is very true, the majority of pe teachers are vile.
Perhaps if PE took the same attitude as other subjects and put the better pupils in a different class, then the not-so-good pupils could get more attention from the teachers and less bullying from the Beckam wannabies at the same time. Thats how I get most of my exerise these days. Incidentally, this Saturday is a work day at Dunaskin for anyone who wants to join in with the shovelling.
In Denmark it's concidered abnorm not to own a bike. And there is a great deal of people cycling to school and work everyday.
We still have overweight and obese kids, but after having seen the kids in London I'd say that it's not as bad, and they're more moderately overweight than the ones I saw in England (if moderately obese is an expression one can use).
...but Denmark is flat.
In flat places in the UK people cycle everywhere- I think especially of Oxford and Cambridge. But I live on top of a huge hill, so cycling isn't such a great option, not after a long day at uni or school anyway.
On the other hand you do walk a lot in London, at least as a tourist.
I would cycle but seeing as I also like at the top of a hill (3rd highest point in london