BUPA's top ten tipsto break the bad habits that are making our children ill

24 December 2002

Leading healthcarecompany BUPA is providing parents with top tips for getting children away fromthe TV and keeping them active and healthy this Christmas. Child obesitycontinues to increase and BUPA is keen to show parents how to break the habitsthat are making children ill.

Statistics show thatchildhood obesity has doubled over the past decade , with an estimated 300,000obese children under the age of 16 in the UK. The implications of this arealarming as children are putting their health at serious risk.

Dr AnnabelBentley, BUPA's assistant medical director explains: "It is very worryingthat Type II diabetes, which is also known as 'adult-onset diabetes', is nowbeing diagnosed in children. This is a fundamental change in disease patternand is due to the rising level of childhood obesity. As well as bearing thepsychological effects of being obese as a child - for example being bullied orteased - obese children also reduce their life expectancy, and some experts arenow predicting that obese children may be outlived by their parents."

Obese children arestoring up problems for later life and when they become adults, will be moresusceptible to illnesses such as heart disease, depression, osteoporosis,respiratory difficulties and cancer.

Studies show thatchild obesity is closely linked to the amount of hours that children spend infront of the TV. It is not watching TV that directly increases obesity. Itseems that the changes in eating behaviour associated with TV viewing, such asgrazing on crisps and sweets, is a major contributor.

As a provider of awide range of childcare services, BUPA recognises that parents can havedifficulties in dissuading children from watching TV and encouraging them toeat healthily and exercise more. BUPA has produced the following helpful tipsfor parents:

Walkchildren to and from school each day, or to the local shops. This type of dailyactivity is crucial for good health in the long term. In school holidays stilltry to squeeze in a daily walk, as it is times like these that TV viewing isincreased and healthy routines are broken.

1. If children are notenthusiastic about the sports they do at school, introduce them to somethingnew, such as cycling, dancing, martial arts, volleyball or trampolining. Achange of activity might be just what is needed to encourage children to getmore active.

2. Encouraging childrento get active doesn't have to be expensive. Kicking a football around or goingon a bike ride are great ways to exercise while having fun. It is alsoimportant that parents 'practice what they preach' as children are quick tospot hypocrisy!

3. Organise acompetition between children within the community, like a mini-league footballtournament. This also helps children interact with their peers instead ofhaving a one to one relationship with the TV.

4. Turn exercise into atreat! A trip to the local leisure centre or dry ski slope, for example, is funand exciting but great exercise too.

5. Getting children awayfrom the TV is only half the battle when fighting or preventing childhoodobesity. Habits of grazing during the day on crisps, sweets and fizzy drinksmust be broken too. BUPA's following tips aim to help parents instil regularhealthy eating patterns in to every day family life:

6. Provide healthyalternatives to junk food such as replacing ice cream with frozen yoghurt, orbagels instead of doughnuts. This will stop children feeling that junk foodsare forbidden and therefore they are less likely to binge on them.

7. Make meal times partof a regular routine where the family sits down together. Turn the TV off toestablish that eating and TV viewing are separate activities.

8. Give children achoice in what they can eat, this will avoid them feeling forced in to eatinghealthy food. Enabling children to have a choice can reduce rebellious grazingand snacking between meals.

9. Don't offer food as areward as this will encourage children to over-eat. Instead of taking them outto a fast food restaurant as a treat, visit the cinema instead.

10. Children should have four servings of fruit and vegetables aday. These don't have to be provided in the solid form; younger children mayfind a glass of pure fruit juice more manageable than the fruit itself.

More informationabout children's diet and exercise levels, as well as a wide range of healthinformation, can be found at www.bupa.com orby calling 0800 00 10 10. In addition Lighten Up supported by BUPA has produceda special booklet entitled 'Helping Toddlers to Eat Well', to obtain a copyplease call local call rate number 0845 603 3456