Childhood obesity in T&T an epidemic

[redmanjp]

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Child-obesity-rate-in-TT-alarming-243277131.html

‘Child obesity rate in T&T alarming’

Story Created: Feb 3, 2014 at 2:08 AM ECT

Story Updated: Feb 3, 2014 at 6:52 PM ECT
A frightening situation has developed where the children of this country are becoming more obese than the children in the United States, says Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan.
A study published by the University of the West Indies (UWI) on overweight children showed findings of a high risk of development of diabetes and hypertension among our younger ones.
Additional studies by the Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute and the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee showed high rates of obesity throughout the island.
Speaking to the Express by phone, Khan said that the study focused on children in rural areas and the figures would be frightening when one examines the statistics of child obesity in urban areas.
He said his Ministry will be collaborating with the Education Ministry with the aim of changing the meals distributed to pupils in the school feeding programme.
He added that tackling child obesity was a difficult task as the full support of parents is needed.
Khan said the expanding fast food industry and in particular the use of chemicals in these foods to make them addictive was one of the problems.
“These children end up with empty calories being put on as fat and you find it a lot in the fast food industry. It’s an epidemic, that’s they the World Health Organisation has taken a firm approach on this,” said Khan.
The issue was raised yesterday at the regional Paediatric conference — The Bridge — From Infancy to Adulthood at the Trinidad Hilton, St Ann’s yesterday.
Dr Anjanie Sharma delivered the address on Khan’s behalf where she spoke of the alarming obesity rate of children in this country.
She noted that last week, the Trinidad and Tobago Health Sciences Initiative hosted a symposium featuring the research done through their Diabetes Outreach Programme in this country.
“What they have brought to the forefront really hit home when it comes to childhood obesity. I am not exaggerating when I say that obesity among children is an epidemic in Trinidad and Tobago. Our children are tipping the scales in the unhealthiest way, making them some of the most obese in the world,” said Sharma.
She noted the studies by UWI the Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute and the Trinidad and Tobago.
Sharma said in the county of St George, one in four children are overweight while the rate in South Trinidad is even higher with one in three children overweight children.
“These figures are worse than those in the United States,” said Sharma.
“This epidemic has created a burden on our society and threatens our well-being. It mandates us to implement strategies at all levels: the government, the food and beverage industries, our schools, our communities, the family and the individual,” she added.
Sharma stressed that lifestyle changes must be made in the family and no individual child should be put on a diet.
She said children are taught what they should eat from the adults who take care of them and society tells them what is acceptable and thus informs their habits.
Sharma said that social determinants like poverty and a lack of education often provides the pathway to under-nutrition and consequently non-communicable diseases.
She said the Regional Health Authorities have begun initiatives to combat this through obesity clinics and workshops.
The Primary Care Child Assessment Unit at Barataria and soon at St James will accommodate referrals of overweight children.
Sharma said this was just the beginning of what needs to be done for non-communicable diseases in children in the RHAs.
She noted that the Ministry of Health had Wee Fit and Healthy Me camps for the past three years as well as a school caravan in 2013.

[VexXx Dogg]

Parliamentarian obesity is also an epidemic.

[~*Pãñdorą*~]

I blame all the GMO rich foods Trinidadians are importing and feeding our children.
Frozen chicken nuggets, Chips ahoy, Oreos, Mac and Cheese to name a few.

Trinidadians do not stop to read a damn product label in the grocery, to enlighten themselves as to what they're eating.

Watch Food.Inc people.. even Americans don't want to eat their own food anymore, why should we?!

Also, why are fruits and vegetables more expensive to buy than a Big Mac? What are our farmers doing? What's happening to our Agriculture Sector?

[Redman]

Why not blame the parents who are unwilling to make the extra effort to feed their kids the right stuff.

Children dont buy groceries-parents do.

Everybody have 2 cell phones and a facebook account-what excuse can their be when the information is FREELY ACCESSIBLE.

[pete]

You blaming GMOs when the real problem is rice, roti and sweet drinks?

[kurpal_v2]

You blaming GMOs when the real problem is rice, roti and sweet drinks?

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=555934



Add big bar of chocolate to your list

[meccalli]

I wouldn't blame rice, but you're spot on with roti and soda and of course lack of exercise. Look at asians, rich carbohydrate fuel in the form of rice and starches but they have some of the lowest figures. They are always walking, on the go, getting fresh air and working their body.

[G-T]

Food is not the only factor of obesity, they lack outside activities, they prefer to play their ps3 games and computers games rather to go outside and sweat out the bad toxins in their body and again it’s the parents fault for not doing anything.

[A172]

ITT: clueless idiots that think food makes you fat

[UML]

believe it or not the traffic situation is a main factor for this...we leave home early for work and return home late. we eat out because there is no time to cook at home, so fast food is the only option.

so children eat what parents eat.

[SMc]

is it contagious?

[shogun]

Parliamentarian obesity is also an epidemic.

Bunch of wide angle lens using mofos... some of them.

[pugboy]

too much starches, oil and sugar
many people have switched from soft drinks to those "fresh" juices thinking they have less calories and sugar

[nervewrecker]

How gyms will make $$$ and pharmacies will sell weight loss stuff if people thin?

[redmanjp]

-ban or limit portion sizes of soft drinks in schools
-ban all sweet snacks in schools

for the rest of the population:

-immediately require ALL fast food outlets to put nutrition labels on their meals (this includes cinemas too)
-require them to also lower the portion sizes of drinks included in combos- (why is it always a LARGE soft drink with a meal instead of regular? the soft drink in a combo in movietowne is huge!)

the US is already introducing these regulations- so when their fast food chains come in trinidad they should be subject to the same regulations

http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/LabelingNutrition/ucm248732.htm

[nervewrecker]

What's to stop me from sending my two friends to buy me a cee-jink and snack at school?

How much of the illiterates even read labels on stuff at groceries? Can they even read?

[redmanjp]

What's to stop me from sending my two friends to buy me a cee-jink and snack at school?

well at least the initiative could start with children who now coming in to a school which has the regulations and thus not accustomed to big portions- if u have to send not even 1 but 2 other ppl so u can get the equivalent of a large soft drink then after a while those 2 friends go wonder why d fcuk u cyah get it yuhself

[nervewrecker]

Or me being a bully, bully them into buying it for me while teachers turn a blind eye to it.

[1UZFE]

too much PS4 an PC. WHen i was younger criket, football, basketball and doing chupidness in the yard was d order. Was slim and fit then, chirren these days only behind d PC and consoles.

[ruffneck_12]

in primary school it was 2 aloo pie in the morning and a hot dog for lunch

I was fat

[RIPEBREDFRUIT]

A greater part of this stems from modern Electronics, Far too many parents allow their children to sit and slouch around the house with some form of electronic entertainment or game.
As a parent you should encourage your kids to have an active lifestyle, carry them to the closest park, savannah, or just go outside and kick around a ball or something.

[Redman]

But if a child stays inside and study the result would be the same.GENERALLY In the same way that a child who outside all the time will be dysfunctional at school.

Parents control the childs inputs -WE need to ensure that our children learn to desire balance in their lives.

Time for inside and outside,time to study and play PS4

time for TV and time to read.

We have to make the effort to engage our children,and involve ourself in their leisure,school,diet,exercise and social interactions.

We create their habits.

[1UZFE]

Darren Ganga wud disagree.

[troublemaker]

Dont forget that mist of these little ones know hw to use an ipad/tablet better dan some big educated ppl.
I get real annoyed wen i see my neph. sittin watchin dat ting whole day.
They being fat isnt the only thing to worry abt..wat abt the effect these devices will hav on their eyesight later on? or the laziness they bring to an already lazy society :/

[pete]

Same here yes.. every day as he reaches home it's on an ipad for a couple hours, then watching tv etc etc until time to go to sleep. Then the parents want to quarrel with the child when he doesn't do well in school or he's putting on weight. smh

I know there will always be parents who say that no matter what they do someone will say they did something wrong but cases like that.. they really are. I just hope I can do better.

[troublemaker]

he hav real adrenaline n does be active..karate..riding...exercising around d savannah etc...but damn he cud watch dat ipad up-close o_O

An yeah parents dese days being encouraged to work wit their young ones and be more active in their childs education..but as wit typical trini ways...parents want to wait last minute n den quarrel wit d child for nt graspin it too fast as dey only hav 30 mins etc till d child hav to rch in skl lol

[Redman]

Same here yes.. every day as he reaches home it's on an ipad for a couple hours, then watching tv etc etc until time to go to sleep. Then the parents want to quarrel with the child when he doesn't do well in school or he's putting on weight. smh

I know there will always be parents who say that no matter what they do someone will say they did something wrong but cases like that.. they really are. I just hope I can do better.

Breds thats all you can do-try.

but my parents broke many of the rules-based on todays standards-but any mistakes were mitigated by the fact that they were INVOLVED,Interested and fully engaged-so they knew when something was wrong,and when things got complicated in the teenage years we were able to talk about almost anything-they didnt leave any room for other influences to fill any gaps.

The world is more complicated now and harder for children to make sense of it.
we have to step up

[turbosingh]

With the high prices of food on the market it makes me wonder how people still obese!

[spirited721]

With the high prices of food on the market it makes me wonder how people still obese!

Doubles, aloo pie, saheena, gyro, roti, bread, kfc, Mc Donalds..... to name a few..then they 'wash it down' with a seejink.... you still wondering?

[Trini Hookah]

Parliamentarian obesity is also an epidemic.