Do our children need more physical activity?
You might have read a recent Reuters dispatch about a British think-tank findings on the subject of obesity. After a two-year-long study into the causes of obesity, the Britsh Department of Health-sponsored project found "that the technological revolution of the 20th century has led to weight gain becoming unavoidable for the majority of the population, because our bodies and biological make-up are out of step with our surroundings"
I know how hard it is for adults to loose a lot of weight once we have put it on, so if we follow the conclusion of the British think-tank attributing the "obesity epidemic" to environmental conditions, I think that in order to change a culture one has to begin with the children. The dictators of the early 20th century, in communist Russia and China, also fascist Germany and Italy understood that to create new attitudes for their population, they needed to indoctrinate the children.
I'm not thinking in terms of indoctrination but simply a recognition of the horrendous economic cost of the chronic health problems this growing "obesity epidemic" will cause.
It would be fairly easy to change the trend if we started with young children because we would not have to curtail the children's food intake - it would mostly take an increase in physical activity!
Anyone who grew up in the fifties or sixties remembers mother's injunction to "go play outside" - the long evenings playing various ball games or just riding bikes, running around playing hide and seek, with Mothers or Fathers calling repeatedly for kids to come in for bedtime...(sigh...
nostalgia) In most neighborhoods we no longer hear children's voices late into the evening.
We have to get a lot more physical activity and also healthy food in our schools, At home we need
to balance sedentary activities like TV and the computer with physical activities - that would also cut out a lot of snacking I think.
When parents see the results of changing their children's lifestyle starting at an early age, I think they would see the wisdom of joining the trend in order to stay healthy longer so that they can live to enjoy their children and their grandchildren.
The article I referenced 'Obesity by Jennifer Hill' can be found at http://www.reuters.com/article/health-SP-A/idUSL1720090120071019?sp=true
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1 comments:
You're absolutely right, Fran! Early childhood is the period during which habits are formed, and that includes good habits regarding nutrition and especially physical activity! Being active everyday should become as much of a habit as brushing teeth!
I did grow up in the '50s & '60s and remember those long days outside very well. So, even though I've been a children's physical activity specialist for over 27 years, it's still hard to believe that we have to work so hard these days to get kids moving!!
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