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ShareAgreed, a plump kid looks cute. But the problem begins when parents refuse to accept that their child is no more just chubby. Experts discuss the adverse effects and growing trend of child obesity.
Luxurious lifestyle is fattening
The usual suspects here are television, technology, change in lifestyle, junk foods etc. But look closely and you'll find that they have evolved from smaller factors.
Cartoon channels meant that the couch in front of TV became the play area for children. Malls and supermarkets stand guilty too. They display succulent, foreign-made chocolate in the lower racks, within easy reach of children. Harassed parents face two options -- buy them or face tantrums.
Schools in the last 10 years have undergone a sea change. Some have elevators for students, AC classrooms, small or no playgrounds and study load eating into a students' free time. Schools are trying hard to maintain international standards that in turn affect children adversely. The canteens have food that your science teachers talks against. In all, schools are catering to wrong demands.
These cafeterias are surrogate mothers of the pocket-money culture. This means that children ditch their healthy dabba in favour of unhealthy snacks that their friends eat. Pocket money represents the growing purchasing power.
As a result, both parents work in order to sustain a metropolitan existence. Feeling neglected, the child turns to comfort foods and never quite manages to lose the fat. High stress levels that children face due to competition and at times pushy parents, culminates into comfort eating again. -- Susannah. Prof of Sociology, Elphinstone College
'Problem more common among boys than girls'
Why: Obesity among children is a generational problem. Our generation grew with innovations and resources and could see them as additions to their life. The current generation is born with all resources at their disposal. It is exploitative and uses resources as mere objects.
Who: One fall out of this is obesity among children. Unlike a few decades ago, children today have wafers, comfortable sofas and TV at their disposal. But couch potatoes aren't just created by TV. They are also a function of our restrictive academic environment. And this trend is more common in boys than girls. Boys in the age group of 12 to 16 tend to be overcompetitive and today, achievements more or less result from desk jobs. So in that sense, couch potatoes are created by books as much as by the TV.
Parents: It's unfair to say that parents are responsible for the condition. No parent sits the child down and says 'get fat'. But adults today want to give their children everything they didn't get as kids.
There is a considerable degree of awareness and that's only because the problem is visible. But the awareness often comes late. And when it does come about, there is a tendency to rationalise. A typical example is when parents tend to say, "So what if he's fat, he's getting good marks." They don't take it up as a challenge.
Impact: Obesity creates negative self-image in children. One of the simplest forms of gratification is eating. And those disheartened with life tend to eat more. In that sense, weight begets more weight.
Such children get bullied very easily. They are laughed at and ridiculed. If you ask them to draw a picture of themselves, they will draw something that is negative or socially unacceptable.
What needs to be done: What is required is firm handling of the situation. Don't bully the child, but be firm.-- Dr Rajendra Barve. Child Psychiatrist
I'm worried that my child is getting fat
Namrata Pradeep. Goregaon
I am not one of those mothers who hanker or monitor their child's every move. Neither do I mollycoddle my son. But it is a cause of concern for me when I realise that my son is among the shortest boys in the class. It is alarming when his light push sends me paces back. My apprehension shows when I realise he is not growing tall, but sideways.
It is not like my son is a couch potato out and out. He plays a lot. He used to swim, but prefers tennis now. A play station that he managed to persuade his grandfather into buying meant intense physical activity was limited to his thumbs for a while. But I took matters in my hands and locked the damned thing away limiting it to a few hours a week. He then returned to the terrace and cricket.
But the fat refuses to go. My son can cook very well, unlike his sister who can't tell vinegar from water. Unlike his sister, he can tell when I go easy on oil, cheese or butter. His sandwiches border on outrageous like that of Dagwood. He nibbles on cheese cubes and insists I pick up different types from the market. He drains cola bottles kept in the fridge for unannounced guests.
The ice cream in the freezer seems untouched until you lift it. He prises open a non-suspecting corner only to finish it without getting caught. The event goes unreported until I take it out for guests only to find it gone. He eats parathas without counting and insists on fried things for breakfast. If I refuse he simply goes into the kitchen and whips up some sinful concoction.
While I don't mind him in the kitchen, I do get bothered when he eats indiscriminately. He then proceeds to sit with a laden plate in front of the television.
Each time I scold him, he's all jokes and promises. But these promises are forgotten soon enough. It is not like there is less to eat in the house, but his constant demand for fatty foods trouble me.
