Is childhood obesity a form of child neglect?

[Pearls18]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/obese-girl-newport-aged-five-2905328

For years we've heard about dogs being taken from their owners if they are severely overweight and yet little seems to be done about the amount of obesity in children, it shocks me going back to schools these days and seeing the number of overweight children compared to my own school days.

Is it abuse? Should SS intervene?

 

[special_kala]

In my opinion yes it is. Allowing your child to become obese can be just as physically damaging and emotionally damaging as hitting them.

Not providing your children with the right care is neglect and feeding them the right foods should come under that.

Obviously there are some children who have medical problems or mobility problems which is not the parents fault which is different.

 

[Kate&Lucas]

Ahhh, I feel awful saying this and I hope my Mum never sees but yes, I believe it is. It's not malicious and it's not done with bad intentions but letting your child become obese is absolutely neglectful.
I'm still battling with obesity at 24 and I get "how hard is it? Just eat less and exercise more". That sounds great and very easy, but I have issues with my weight that go right back to about age 3 and the way I am is not just the way I have always been, but it's something my parents (particularly my Mum), always tried to find excuses for and justify.
Between the ages of 11-12 I put on five stone. I went from 11st to 16st. I literally begged my Mum help me, to buy healthy food, to take me to exercise classes etc. She said she couldn't afford healthier food, she couldn't afford classes, she started taking me to the nurse to get weighed then stopped when there was mention of dietician referral. She made excuses, she told me I was beautiful the way I was, and I got bigger and bigger.
She wasn't deliberately neglectful and to this day she'd never accept that my weight problems have anything to do with her, but she was unintentionally robbing me of so much and leaving me with a world of problems to fix on my own. I imagine most cases are the same, it's not done to be nasty and they probably don't realise there is a problem.

I do think SS should intervene. These parents need a little help and the children need help.

 

[Feebster1]

Its definitely something that needs addressed!

However there are so many factors which need to be changed in order for this to be different!

Education, Food prices and availability, Physical Exercise price and availability, school meals system.......

So many families on benefit or low income end up at freezer supermarkets buying ping meals and chicken nuggets etc because its cheaper (get more meals out of one bag than making fresh) and also because they have no idea how to cook from scratch anyway!

We all know how difficult it can be to motivate for exercise and given the safety issues i believe in order for our children to exercise more they need somewhere to go with a purpose and share that with others!

Schools meals have improved vastly but there is always room for improvement, breakfasts being one of the biggest things, so many children dont get one and i think schools could help with that!

Education is always going to be fundamental but it has to be done in the correct way!
I don't think children should be taken from their parents as this morning talked about as its doesnt resolve the underlying issue. People then could have more children and raise them with the same misguided eating and exercise habits.
Yes SS should get involved but in order to achieve the aforementioned goals with the children and parents working together at home.

However all of it boils down to one thing sadly MONEY!! If anything is to change it involves the government buying in to support the changes and pay for the changes.

So yes i say neglect but its a neglect perpetuated by generations of sliding standards, morals and a crumbling economy.

If only my grans generation could live on forever as they would be the best education tool ever!!

Sorry started typing and found i had lots to ramble on about!!lol

 

[Natsku]

SS should get involved to help and support the parents and make sure that they get doctors/dietitians involved but if the parents don't work with the doctors to try and get the child to a healthy weight then I think it should be considered the same as abuse and more drastic measures taken.

 

[Eternal]

Yes, I do think it's neglect. Although I think things should be reviewed.

The BMI is rubbish, I've seen it categorise kids overweight when you think seriously? I also think there is a difference between chubby kids and obese kids.

I have three. All normal weights and well within what is deemed healthy, two are twins, one is really quite skinny and the other in compassion looks chubby, as I say his weight is fine but when they are together he looks bigger. One obviously gets my genetic and the other his dads because the skinny one dates a huge amount more that his brother and the chubbier one hardly eats a thing, he is such a slow water sue to tongue tie.

I really don't like seeing very over weight kids, you can see them struggling to keep up and do normal kids stuff, you do wonder about the parents.

I think it's so easy to sit and do nothing and not be active as a family, I know now that the cold weather is setting in and dark nights we are guilty of sitting in front of the tv far more than we usually would, I think today with take always, ready meals, 100s of tv channels so people just don't cook and don't move.

I think there should be restrictions on things too, I hate seeing kids drinking energy drinks, everyday with their chips from the chippy a lucazade! Surly they should be restricted. Let's just give them diabetes because parents think it's perfect try fine to give their children glucose drinks.

 

[Sarahkka]

I'm torn on this one. I think that there should be some supportive intervention, but snatching children away over this does not feel appropriate to me. I would guess that in many cases, the parents may be struggling with obesity issues, as well. The intervention measures would need to be inclusive of the whole family to be really successful, I would guess.
Still, government-sponsored health initiatives like that would probably be far more cost-effective than treating diabetes, blood pressure issues, heart problems, etc a couple of decades later. Makes sense to me to try it.
But before I would start calling it abuse or neglect and threatening child removal, I would really go with an incentive-based support program. I think that would be more effective.

 

[emyandpotato]

I'm torn on this one. I think that there should be some supportive intervention, but snatching children away over this does not feel appropriate to me. I would guess that in many cases, the parents may be struggling with obesity issues, as well. The intervention measures would need to be inclusive of the whole family to be really successful, I would guess.
Still, government-sponsored health initiatives like that would probably be far more cost-effective than treating diabetes, blood pressure issues, heart problems, etc a couple of decades later. Makes sense to me to try it.
But before I would start calling it abuse or neglect and threatening child removal, I would really go with an incentive-based support program. I think that would be more effective.

Absolutely. Taking children away does no good unless the children are either extremely young and have an appropriate family to go to (and children's homes and ten foster homes a year do not count) or they are in dire need and being abused to the point where removing the children is better for their emotional wellbeing than staying with their families. There's something going wrong when children are overweight but to think of taking them away is by no means okay, especially as the social care system is far from great.

 

[lindseymw]

I think SS should get involved. They should exhaust every other avenue i.e educating & supporting the parent before contemplating removal. If the parent fails to change after that/show any willingness to change, then yes that child should be removed for their own health.

 

[Bex84]

I think first there needs to be intervention where family have to go on healthy eating course including shopping for healthy food. I make most things from scratch which is healthy stuff and i spend alot less than friends who buy junk food. If needed cookery lessons then if parents are still not looking after health of child extra steps should be decided on. Obviosly illness would be taken in to account and this would be extreme cases and 10 stones at 5 needs to be questioned. I have always been slightly overweight or just in the normal range and i would rather lo not struggle with her weight so trying to install good balenced diet early on

 

[MikaylasMummy]

I definatley think as should be involved but for support and help,also monitoring to ensure they don't lapse and the child becomes unhealthy again.if the parents have serious problems ie they just WILL NOT stop buying copious amounts of bad food then I think in the end the child does need to be removed

 

[Bevziibubble]

In a way I do think it is. I think that there should be some kind of social services intervention for children who are so overweight. Obviously there is always going to be the some children who do have an illness which is causing them to be obese.


It is a tough one. There needs to be a balance between teaching the importance of healthy eating and exercise, without making the children are afraid of food as this can be just as damaging. I've heard some children can go totally the other way and be scared of food and label them as bad. Also I don't think that the BMI system is not very accurate, I've heard of children who have been branded obese when there is not a bit of fat on them.


I think that there needs to be a lot of intervention and different methods tried before the child is actually removed from the parents though. That should be an absolute worse case scenario where the parent refuses to help their child.

 

[Bex84]

I think my thoughts are it isnt the children targeted rather teaching parents to provide healthy choices. Obviosly when i say this i do not mean children with illnesses which lead to weight problems or children a little overweight. Maybe schools should be teaching more cooking. When i was at school cooking centred around cakes and pizza, i have alot of friends who dont know how to cook.

 

[suzib76]

yes. it is neglect

i have an autistic 10 year old who eats everything in sight, he steals food at any given opportunity and of course due to him being autistic he isn't out playing everyday burning off the extra energy

my solution? in the end i had to put a lock on the kitchen door. to not restrict his access to food would be neglectful

yes he has to learn, but tbh i looked at the here and now and we HAD to do something.
one day for breakfast he ate 2 sausage rolls, 2 muller corner yogurts, 2 nesquik snacks and a babybel! obviuosly doing that day after day had to stop

 

[Eternal]

yes. it is neglect

i have an autistic 10 year old who eats everything in sight, he steals food at any given opportunity and of course due to him being autistic he isn't out playing everyday burning off the extra energy

my solution? in the end i had to put a lock on the kitchen door. to not restrict his access to food would be neglectful

yes he has to learn, but tbh i looked at the here and now and we HAD to do something.
one day for breakfast he ate 2 sausage rolls, 2 muller corner yogurts, 2 nesquik snacks and a babybel! obviuosly doing that day after day had to stop

My son is going through the diagnostic process for ASD and ADHD, he steals food too and will just eat and eat if you let him, like you say you just don't allow it, it would be an easier life of I left him eat whatever but it's unhealthy to binge on food so I don't allow it.

 

[JASMAK]

I guess it depends why they are obese. There are many reasons children and people are obese, and I think lumping them all into one big group is generalising. Also, what about eating disorders? Its okay for society to see a super thin girl, but not an obese girl....but they both could be eating disorders. Its so complicated. Its not easy. When we look at someone, don't assume you know. You know nothing. I used to be anorexic. Now I overeat. I am close to being obese. I go from too thin, to overweight in a matter of months. I don't even know how to be normal. My parents fed me healthy food always. It would be so easy to blame someone for my issues, but they are mine. Always have been.

A boy I know, was diagnosed with failure to thrive. Now he eats non stop. He has a disease where he constantly feels hungry. He went from tube fed to now his parents had to lock food up, but he is severely obese. Its no ones fault. Its a disease. There is thyroid issues.

 

[kerrie24]

My 7 yr old daughter has been classed as overweight.She weighs the same as her 11yr old brother who I am told is too skinny and needs to eat more.Then she is nearly the same height as him too.My 3 yr old is average.I certainly dont neglect one of my children and feed the other 2 better stuff.Most days we all eat the same meals,they take a balanced lunch to school and snacks are monitored.I encourage physical activity,they all have bikes,we go for long walks,play rounders,climb trees etc.I would like to think people aren't automatically assuming its my fault.

 

[Eternal]

My 7 yr old daughter has been classed as overweight.She weighs the same as her 11yr old brother who I am told is too skinny and needs to eat more.Then she is nearly the same height as him too.My 3 yr old is average.I certainly dont neglect one of my children and feed the other 2 better stuff.Most days we all eat the same meals,they take a balanced lunch to school and snacks are monitored.I encourage physical activity,they all have bikes,we go for long walks,play rounders,climb trees etc.I would like to think people aren't automatically assuming its my fault.

It's kind of what I was saying about one of my twins, none of them are over weight, but one despite eating half what his brother eats, is bigger. Even if he were over weight I would struggle to cut his food intake down as he eats so little anyway.not that it would be something I would even concise at 2 years but it's hard, it shows how clearly genetics plays in things, hubby's family are all extremely thin.

I think that's why their needs to be a cut off. Kids being chubby or a bit overweight isn't really the issue, they all grow are different rates and out weight on different places etc. but there are those kids who are obese, and I look at them and wonder what sort of life they will lead, there is a chick are church is is morbidly obese, she is huge, her child hood is going has she gets picked on, she cannot participate in physical activities because she is too fat to keep up and reality is she could well die in her 20s, the strain on her heart, internal organs, her joints, blood clots, stroke etc etc. granted she does have thyroid issues.

I think children who are obese are morbidly obese, especially those who have no medical issues, need some sort of support, I don't know of the issues is take the child into care, but that really would be final stage anyway. Children need good nutrition and exercise, you would be damned of you bought a dog and didn't exercise it and fed it rubbish to the point of obesity, RSPCA would take the animal away, surely we as parents take the same responsibility for kids?

As I say, i don't think any of us are referring to kids who are a bit overweight, but there are plenty of children who are massively obese and suffering for it.

 

[Abigailly]

Yes. I think it is a form of abuse. I don't mean to the point that the child should be removed from their parents, but to the point that there should be some kind of intervention. Not necessarily by SS, as I think with their reputation it would be fairly detrimental to most families. But by a new body that's set up. We talk about how much of an issue childhood obesity is in this country but we don't have any one who can do anything about it.

My mum was never a bad mother, she just knew feck all about nutrition. She was brought up in a farming family where every person was served the same sized portion. Cream was put in the mash. There was always a biscuit tin. And sweets were the cure to all life's problems. Then when I turned 10 she went away to a Buddhist retreat and came back a veggie. But the damage had already been done for me and my sister.

I had no clue about living healthily, I was overweight, sensitive and didn't know how to change it.

And now people say 'eat less and exercise more'. But it's not that easy. It's changing a life time of habits. To me, it's almost like asking me to change my accent. I'm not blaming her for my ED but I do think it's where it's came from.

 

[overcomer79]

I'm torn too. One could also argue if a child is underweight does that family need investigation? We had the opposite problem growing up and SS came in all the time on my parents because the neighbors called screaming neglect. My four year old is 34lbs...17 month old is 19 lbs...I'm waiting for someone to get pissed off enough to call us in for neglect. I realize you asked about obesity but I think it does fall in the same lines. If the ss can't be supportive, then it certainly is harassment. As was in my parents case.

But then I have a strong dislike for them in the first place...