It’s official: exercise and physical activity are not enough to tackle childhood obesity. This according to a British study that followed 202 children over three years and found that while physical activity is important, the growing obesity problem is mostly related to what kids eat, not how much exercise they get.
This is sobering news for parents and administrators alike who have been trying to find better ways to fight the problem of childhood obesity. The study states: “If this (weight loss) cannot be achieved through physical activity, the focus has to be on what — and how much — children consume.”
While this study is important, it is certainly not groundbreaking, regular readers of this column are well aware of the nutritional deficiencies of our modern-day diets. Simply visit any school cafeteria and you will a see an abundance of junk food, soda, transfat and very few fruits and vegetables. And by the way, French fries do not count as vegetables.
And yet, there are still some that will argue that genetics are the primary cause. This argument always frustrates me because it doesn’t explain the recent explosion of childhood obesity in the past 15 years. We have not had a population explosion, so how could it actually be a genetic problem? This argument makes no sense.
While no one in their right mind would ever claim that physical activity and exercise are not important in a child’s development, perhaps this study can help us refine our strategy to combat childhood obesity. Maybe we have placed too much emphasis on the effects of TV watching and video games on a child’s health and not enough emphasis on diet and nutrition.
A recent television program hosted by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver called for a Food Revolution in British and US schools as well as on the home front. He taught parents and children the value of a nutritious diet based on whole, healthy foods. As a solution to the growing epidemic of childhood obesity, maybe its time we start our own Food Revolution right here in Canada. Who’s with me?
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