Free gyms is a start…but you also have to get them motivated and give them an incentive. It’s unfortunate that you have to motivated and give an incentive, but most people won’t do anything unless those 2 things exist. People are getting so used to having things given to them. I’m afraid society as a whole is becoming very lazy. And I put myself in this category sometimes.

Posted by: Chris | December 14, 2005 3:06 PM

Preventative measures go further than reactive, its a massive problem - not helped by the fact there is virtually zero focus on physical activity or sport at state schools. Let alone inter-school competition.

When i was at school thru (14yrs-16yrs) doing my GCSEs i did the grand total of 1hr per week of sport.

Posted by: john y | December 14, 2005 4:06 PM

Athletics programs and physical education are usually amongst the first to be cut from school budgets when money is tight (at least here in the US anyway), which is the exact opposite of what I think should be happening.

The problem is not with the kids, though. The problem is with the parents.

Posted by: Blaine Moore (Run to Win) | December 14, 2005 4:28 PM

It’s a tough one, and a problem which undoubtedly requires action on several fronts simultaneously.

Whilst I can see why there is a growing problem (pardon the pun) in the UK as a whole, I can’t really see why Scotland is so much worse than the average. My only thought is that the chances of getting decent nutrition are greatly reduced here; as an example:

There are several supermarkets within walking distance of my house. Of these, only one of them sells fresh food. Of the fruit + veg on display there, more than half is packaged in plastic and given the usual treatment to give it a longer shelf life. You have to really want fresh food to get it here.

Chris, any ideas on the motivation front? If you’re obese, and most of your friends are obese, it probably seems quite normal.

John, I’m guessing you went to an English school. It sounds like you were doing about the same level of physical activity that I was in Australia; I’m starting to think that sports in school is only a small part of the solution. The major change that needs to take place is in the average diet.

Blaine, your last point is interesting. There are pros and cons with educating the children vs parents. The support of parents is certainly important, but I’d still focus on the kids. When you think about it, parents give the children the food they want - up to a point. And they’re more likely to keep doing this if they feel it’s helping the kids.

Posted by: scott | December 14, 2005 4:51 PM

scott your absolutely right about the average diet being the key, and a long term solution to this must be approached from many fronts.

i think blaine is on to something regarding parents, although i agree that parents give kids what they want - in general kids choose what they’re accustommed to.

it doesnt suprise me when i see a obese mother and three obese kids - all four of them are guzzling down deep fried shit at the dinner table, and thats only mild hyperbole - in my eyes its bordering on child abuse, and is “not knowing any better” a valid excuse?

Posted by: john y | December 14, 2005 5:40 PM

btw scott, i appreciate your posts on these observations and news reports - it always seems to lead to pretty insightful discussion.

Posted by: john y | December 14, 2005 5:41 PM

John, I’m not suggesting that ignorance of healthy eating is an excuse, but perhaps it does shift the blame a little. After all, education - whether of kids, parents, or both - is a key factor in solving anything like this (I’m thinking of major health concerns such as smoking and binge drinking).

A question for you - when you first started to cook your own meals, were they similar to the ones you were brought up eating?

Posted by: scott | December 14, 2005 6:21 PM

i know you personally werent suggesting that (apologies if it sounded that way). i was just referring to societies general acceptance of it.

although the more i think about it the more i personally feel parents are directly to blame.

to be honest with you i was brought up on a pretty healthy diet - largely medittereanean (due to my dads side being spanish). i only had to start cooking for myself after i became interested in diet/training. so there was some similarity. but i guess im pretty far from the avg case?

out of curiousity what about you?

Posted by: john y | December 14, 2005 9:46 PM

“it doesnt suprise me when i see a obese mother and three obese kids - all four of them are guzzling down deep fried shit at the dinner table”
In fact I’d go so far as to say you almost NEVER see thin kids with an obese mother and it’s even less likely if both parents are obese(which seems to be most cases).
People are getting lazier as we get more advanced it seems like our only purpose is to develop products that allow us to do less and less, of course these are marketed as products to “make your life easier.” Well last time I checked our lives were pretty damn easy as it was.
Since we are still seeing studies on obesity problems it hasn’t become the “norm” yet. We really need to start worrying when no one is doing these studies anymore.

Posted by: Stinn | December 15, 2005 1:46 AM

I think it’s a combination of the fast food, high fat lifestyle and today’s sources of entertainment.

The eating is sometimes the fault of the parents. Other times it’s the result of both parents having to work. No longer does mom stay at home and cook meals.

Additionally, kids enjoy sources of entertainment today that encourage a sedentary lifestyle. Video, Internet, television don’t create healthy kids. Here the parents again play a role, but how much. How much of a bad guy would you be willing to be?

Posted by: Jon | December 15, 2005 4:45 AM

Stinn, that’s a very interesting (although slightly worrying) point you made that the real time to become concerned is when there are no more studies. I hope that day never comes.

Jon, it seems that (in the UK at least) even when a mother does stay at home and cook for her children, the quality of food is still poor. ‘Home cooked’ now often just means ‘put in the microwave’.

In answer to your question ‘How much of a bad guy would you be willing to be?’ - very. Being entirely selfish for a minute - if obesity is taxing the healthcare systems almost to breaking point, and I’m suddenly diagnosed with a rare, fatal disease; what chance do I have that doctors will know of a cure? Have they spent all of their research time worrying how to safely operate on obese children?

John, my diet whilst growing up was a fairly typical mix of English staples (meat and two veg in various forms) and it was only when I left home that I started cooking different things for myself. Slightly more healthy, certainly a lot more spicy (plenty of asian influences) and a bit more varied. It’s only been the last couple of years that have seen any real clean-up of my diet.

Posted by: scott | December 15, 2005 8:55 AM

My solution was to teach my son a sport and put him in leagues. I also play ball, too, and that helps. Sometimes, especially with video games abound, the parent has to lead by example. Even if that means running alongside the child.

Posted by: Alberto Caraballo | December 15, 2005 5:40 PM

Alberto, the idea of leading by example is great (when the parents themselves are reasonably healthy), and your son is definitely one of the lucky ones. I imagine that he also has a fairly good diet - you aren’t ‘treating’ him to a lot of junk food I hope? :)

Posted by: scott | December 15, 2005 6:32 PM