Storing up issues for the future
AFTER a foul weekend where, given the option, many people would have happily settled into the sofa for the day it is hard to criticise anyone for living too sedentary a life.
AFTER a foul weekend where, given the option, many people would have happily settled into the sofa for the day it is hard to criticise anyone for living too sedentary a life.
Yet the figures for childhood obesity and weight problems are worrying. With one in three nine-year-olds considered either overweight or obese it is clear that society is storing up a massive health problem.
Diabetes, heart disease, strokes and some forms of cancer are all linked to long-term obesity and children who struggle to keep their weight down can lose their confidence, suffer depression and get bullied. They are also more likely to go on to be overweight adults.
The root cause is obvious to anyone with regular contact with youngsters. Sugary food is generally plentiful, exercise less so.
Many children – and adults – struggle to resist the temptation of seeing how their 400 friends are doing on Facebook and Twitter, battling computer generated foes or watching 24-hour TV.
Wishing such technology away is pointless. The fads may come and go but social media and gaming is here to stay. Mobile devices will get smaller and more ubiquitous, not less.
It is equally wasteful to point the blame solely at parents, as if they are supposed to turn into military drill instructors marching their children around the garden eating carrots. Peer pressure is a powerful influence and it is an unusual child able to swim against the flow.
As with most things, the solution lies in opportunity and motivation. To get youngsters away from their iPads sport and exercise must be made easily accessible and it must be organised.
Expecting children to cycle up to Delancey Park, throw down some jumpers for goalposts and have a kickaround is – for many – wishful thinking.
There is much good sport already taking place in the island with dedicated coaches and thriving clubs but how much more might there be with dedicated sports teachers and better funding?
With free equipment and subsidised sports trips the opportunities for all youngsters to get active can be maximised.
It may look costly now but the price of an obese generation will be far higher.
