Swedish kids are getting fatter
By
on
October 28th, 2005
Print This Post
Email This Post
An article yesterday in Svenska Dagbladet talks about Swedish kids getting fatter (sorry, article is in Swedish). Obese adults are disgusting (sorry for offending some) but if someone want to fuck up their life that’s their problem. Kids are different, at least to me, because they simply don’t know any better. They just do what their parents tell them (hopefully). When I see obese kids I can’t help shaking my head in disgust.. Come on, give these kids a chance. What do you think will happen if they are obese by the time they are 7 years old? Is that really a good start in life? Is that being a good parent?
Claude Marcus, a professor at internationally respected Karolinska Sjukhuset in Stockholm, held a presentation yesterday where he talked about the problem with kids in Sweden getting fatter. Historically we haven’t had a problem with obesity in Sweden. We eat healthy food and most exercise their bodies fairly regularly. Gym, walk to work, bike to work, play at/after school, etc. But the trend has been changing during the last 10-20 years. We are eating much more unhealthy fast food (McDonald’s etc.) and exercising less. Kids are exercising less in school and at home plus eating more junk food. Mr. Marcus says that Sweden is seeing an extreme increase in overweight and obese kids. The problem with overweight adults is discussed frequently but not much is said in media about fat kids. If we don’t do anything about this the new generation will be the first one that has a shorter life span than their parents. That’s just shocking to me.
Mr. Marcus has studied school data from the Stockholm county for an extended period and offers some troubling statistics. In 1989 8,5 % of the seven year olds were overweight or obese. The same number for 2003 was 21 %. That’s really depressing. 21 %! What the hell are parents thinking? Or rather, are they thinking? Being overweight or obese at a very young age has some serious drawbacks. Heart disease and cancer obviously develop much earlier and the average life span decreases dramatically. Not to mention the psychological traumas that often lead to depression.
When I was young I played sports (soccer, hockey) during breaks at school and after school we would always get together for a game of hockey. Not because we needed exercise, simply because it was fun. Todays kids are viewing much more television, playing more video games, and using the computer more often. That’s not necessarily bad but it’s a horrible when used as a substitute for regular exercise. My son so far seems to be like me. He can eat like a horse and not gain any weight. But this can change as he gets older. I wouldn’t care at all if he was overweight but obese at 7 years old? I can assure you that I will not allow that to happen. Surely he will have tried Tequila by then but at least he will not be obese. I think we should make it a promise to our kids to at least give them a good start in life. And a good start in life would be to teach them a fairly healthy lifestyle and the value of a some exercise.
As I’m sure you know, this is a HUGE issue here in the states.
I, as I eluded to in past posts, have suffered the effects of obesetiy in the form of type 2 diabetes. I’ve since turned myself around and am fitter than I’ve ever been. Its sad to know that type 2 diabetes is now starting to affect kids in growing numbers.
I’ve been debating lately what to do when it comes time to re-enter the outside world. One idea I’ve had is something along the lines of a personal trainer for kids. Something along the line of aerobic classes, simple sports programs, and nutritional guidance geared for the under 12 bracket. Kind of like an after school gym class. I’ve thought of becoming a gym teacher, but those jobs are few and far between, especially targeting the younger set.
Of course, its going to take some preparation and planning (and of course, certification), but I’ve got time.
This is a huge topic in the US. However, in California, it seems like all anyone talks about is JUST the children! I see billboards all the time saying 1 in 3 children are overweight. (However, when I’ve looked up references for the data the real figures are closer to 20%. Adults, on the other hand, are closer to 50% overweight in the US!) I think this is a basic avoidance technique, if adults fixate on overweight children they won’t have to deal with their own weight isuues. I agree with you, AD, parents LEAD BY EXAMPLE. Everyone needs to embrace a healthy lifestyle if they want to combat this.
And I don’t know about you, but I can only eat so much junk food before I just feel sick. Than I start craving vegetables.