Experts urged parents to lead by example and
help tackle childhood obesity , on World
Obesity Day yesterday
Parents “ have the single biggest influence”
over their children’ s risk of obesity and need
to “ lead by example ” and create an active and
healthy lifestyle for the whole family ,
according to Professor Pamela Naidoo , who
heads up the Heart and Stroke Foundation
South Africa ( HSFSA ) .
While the international health community
marked World Obesity Day yesterday, under
the theme ‘ Ending Childhood Obesity : Act
today for a healthier future ’, experts are
voicing their concerns about escalating rates
of childhood obesity in South Africa .
Children at risk of disease
The World Obesity Federation estimates that if
obesity levels continue to increase at the
current rate, almost four million South African
children will be overweight or obese by 2025 .
They predict that , by then, over a million of
these children will start to suffer from related
diseases such as diabetes and high blood
pressure.
According to the HSFSA , children are
particularly “ vulnerable ” to the modern South
African ‘obesegenic ’ environment – with
growing affordable access to processed and
fast-food.
But they urged parents not to lose sight of
their responsibility in preventing childhood
overweight and its related diseases .
“ Being overweight as an infant increases the
risk of being overweight as a child, which in
turn increases the risk of being overweight as
an adolescent and adult , ” said HSFSA in a
statement.
Poor nutrition from birth
Furthermore, children who are undernourished
from a young age have higher risks of
becoming overweight when they become older .
“ In the South African context a stunted child
in early childhood is seven times more likely
to be obese later in life , ” Professor Demetre
Labadarios from the Human Sciences
Research Council told Health - e News .
“ In the household – that ’ s really where we
lose the battle . From low exclusive
breastfeeding rates to the preparation of
everyday meals, parents need to make
healthier choices for the entire household ’s
benefit ,” he said .
Naidoo advised mothers to try maintain an
appropriate weight before and during
pregnancy and to exclusively breastfeed for
the first six months – as recommended by the
World Health Organisation . Research has
shown that being breastfed can reduce one ’s
risk of becoming overweight later in life and of
developing type 2 diabetes .
Parents lulled “into inaction ”
HSFSA said “ cultural beliefs and poor
knowledge of the consequences of obesity
lulls many parents into inaction” , and called on
stakeholders to help improve nutrition and
physical activity awareness in communities .
Healthy eating habits should be promoted from
a very young age and parents should “ set an
example” , according to Labadarios.
“ We have to see this in the bigger context .
South Africa is not exceptional, rising rates of
childhood obesity is a world -wide
phenomenon. But even one obese child is a
problem. Source: Health e-news
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