Is childhood obesity a form of child neglect?

[Desi's_lost]

It's a very broad topic..some children are naturally heavy. Some children have health problems that contribute that may be hard to diagnose. The majority are probably from poor families that know no better. Many just don't have the money right. It's not cheap! When they're not on sale, I've paid over a dollar for a single apple! Just one! I could buy a frozen pizza with that and have a "meal".

My sister is 12, almost 13. She's 144lbs at 5'1. She's a pretty active kid. She plays softball and does cheer leading. But she's so fucking picky. She does like fruit but not veggies. She LOVES pasta. She'll eat a half pound by herself then ask for it as a snack a few hours later. My mom has tried to argue with her but ya know..it's really hard to say no when your child is crying that they are hungry and you won't let them eat. Now the ridiculous thing is my mom spends plenty on grocerys. And she does try. But between how picky my sister and dad are and how muh easier it is to just make pasta, I do understand why she gives up.
She's tried to put her foot down on them being so picky too but my sister will refuse to eat what my mom makes and make a ramen soup instead- to which my dad tells her is fine. Her drs don't help either as they keep saying she is fine and will grow up but..what if she doesn't? She's still eating too much. Even my OH has commented that she will eat as much as him and he can eat too.
Also, at her age, it's easy for her to just go behind my moms back. What is she gonna do, lock the food up? :/

Bmi for kids is kind of messed up. According to it, my daughter is obese because she's 37lbs at 37". She has a little belly but the rest of her isn't chubby other than her cheeks. And she's a very active little girl. We spent a lot of time on play ground this summer. So I don't think it's anything to rely on.

And I'm not saying my sister is obese either but, she's gained almost 40 lbs in a year. That's not normal.

To me, the biggest factor is money. Either more needs to be provided or the prices of food need to be lowered. After that education needs to be available for both kids and parents as well as strategies to help children who are struggling with their weight. They know they aren't eating healthy but they also know they're hungry.

There is no easy answer, unfortunately, and it wouldn't be terrible for SS to step in and help, but I really don't see taking kids as the answer. They are very unlikely to receive any help in foster care.

 

[Bex84]

I would say obviously if a child is a little bit heavy then they don't need to intervene as there is a huge range of normal. When you get in to the range of obese then I think that is when questions should be asked. I don't agree when people say junk food is cheaper as it isn't true, I make everything from scratch and I pay out a lot less than my friend who buys all junk. You get a greater amount with healthier food so if you use it wisely then it is cheaper (such as freezing down meals, gosh I bought a huge bag for frozen vegtables for £1 the other day, 2 packs of parsnips for £2, large bag of potatoes £1.50 the list goes on). I have several friends say well I cant cook, I agree with my grandma that if you can read you can cook, a cook book will tell you exactly what you need to do. I have started early with healthy eating for lo, if I don't want her to have it we just don't have it in the house. She can have chocolate on occasion and treats as long as it is balanced with everything else, she has 3 meals, and then will have snacks like fruit or crackers. I had junk growing up and I have always been over weight, I felt so self conscious so I want to teach good eating habits early on, lo also cooks with me.

 

[Kess]

I think one of the problems is we've lost sight of what a normal healthy weight is. So many people say, "Oh, according to doctor/BMI/whatever my LO is overweight/obese but there's no fat on him/her" but when you look, the child has rolls of fat on their arms, tummy, face, legs, etc. You're supposed to be able to see a child's ribs. Any child a correct weight now seems skinny when you compare them to their peers, and clothes are being made bigger and bigger so that skews people's perception too.

We often give children portions that are too big, so even if they're eating healthily they put on weight. Being active doesn't mean the child isn't overweight either.

 

[minties]

I can see my sons ribs, he has no rolls, but proportionally he's too heavy. Sophie is pretty chubby but her rolls are starting to smooth out now, she's just starting to leave babyhood behind so I expect some chubbiness on her for a while yet.

I definetly think that letting and encouraging a child to get obese is a strong form of abuse. It's humilating to be a fat child/teenager. Being a fat teen wrecked my life. I'm fixing it now, but I feel like I lost 15 years.

 

[Tiff]

Claire was HUGE as a baby. She weighed 20lbs on her 6 month check up, was 24lbs at her 9 month check up. Her rolls had rolls

I had people tell me to put her on a diet I never did though, I don't believe babies at that age can be overweight. Turns out she grew "out" instead of "up" first, if that makes sense. She was so short for the longest time, now she's 5 and is one of the tallest kids in her class.

She weighs a lot more than any of my friends kids at the same age, but she's not fat. Solid maybe? Anyhoo, if she stayed that way I'm not sure what I would do. I think its emotionally damaging to be teased etc, but I also think its emotionally damaging to put pressure on a kiddo to lose weight.

I suppose I'd try to make sure she ate healthy and be active? But I've had friends who's parents always said they were overweight and it really damaged them.

 

[weebubba]

Should SS intervene and take one of my children away as they are very overweight? I think not!! I am a great mum and everyone in my household eats a healthy diet. Nobody else in the household is overweight - far from it. My 12 year old is addicted to food and whilst I and other family members control what food is given, I can't be there 24/7 to supervise what happens when I am not around. I am very offended by the ill informed people who judge me and decide that I am guilty of neglect and must be a bad mother with poor cooking skills who feeds her kids rubbish, if that was the case all my kids would be overweight!

 

[Eternal]

Should SS intervene and take one of my children away as they are very overweight? I think not!! I am a great mum and everyone in my household eats a healthy diet. Nobody else in the household is overweight - far from it. My 12 year old is addicted to food and whilst I and other family members control what food is given, I can't be there 24/7 to supervise what happens when I am not around. I am very offended by the ill informed people who judge me and decide that I am guilty of neglect and must be a bad mother with poor cooking skills who feeds her kids rubbish, if that was the case all my kids would be overweight!

No but there is a massive difference between overweight and obese. Plus I do think age is a big factor too.

But children who are obese at a young age 6-9, they are playing Russian roulette with their health. I mean you just need to google and will see tons of news clips like 22stone 10 year old. That is a world away from a chubby teen, and honestly, a 22 stone 10 year old cannot be happy or healthy, plus she may not even live to our ages, that's tragic and that's what needs addressed.

 

[deafgal]

My biggest problem is knowing how to cook and make food tasty (and some days, have time to cook) junk food IS cheaper because people actually eat it. If you mess up cooking expensive ingredients, it's money down the drain (happened to me so many times...I even seen it on one epsiode of Honey boo boo where the mom tried to cook healthy and it did not turn out well so she had to dump the whole thing...).

Anyway, you should really be careful commenting a child's weight. In some cases, it make the situation worst. Sometimes even cause the child develop eating disorder like starving herself.

Teaching her eating healthy is fine because it is good for her body.

 

[deafgal]

I am always amazed how some family are allow to leave junk food around their house and none of their kids would touch it and family who are overweight get chastened for even buying them.

 

[Kate&Lucas]

Should SS intervene and take one of my children away as they are very overweight? I think not!! I am a great mum and everyone in my household eats a healthy diet. Nobody else in the household is overweight - far from it. My 12 year old is addicted to food and whilst I and other family members control what food is given, I can't be there 24/7 to supervise what happens when I am not around. I am very offended by the ill informed people who judge me and decide that I am guilty of neglect and must be a bad mother with poor cooking skills who feeds her kids rubbish, if that was the case all my kids would be overweight!

I think most people have said they disagree with children being taken away over it. SS do more than just take kids away, and if a child is obese then more needs to be done about it than watching what they put in their mouth when you can. Addiction is a strong word and a serious issue, having additional help might be what parents need to get to the root of the issue.

 

[emyandpotato]

Should SS intervene and take one of my children away as they are very overweight? I think not!! I am a great mum and everyone in my household eats a healthy diet. Nobody else in the household is overweight - far from it. My 12 year old is addicted to food and whilst I and other family members control what food is given, I can't be there 24/7 to supervise what happens when I am not around. I am very offended by the ill informed people who judge me and decide that I am guilty of neglect and must be a bad mother with poor cooking skills who feeds her kids rubbish, if that was the case all my kids would be overweight!

I think most people have said they disagree with children being taken away over it. SS do more than just take kids away, and if a child is obese then more needs to be done about it than watching what they put in their mouth when you can. Addiction is a strong word and a serious issue, having additional help might be what parents need to get to the root of the issue.

I was also gonna comment on the mention of a food addiction. If she really does seem addicted to food this can be an eating disorder and she may need help with dealing with the emotions behind her overeating. If you think she might be addicted maybe try to talk to her about whether she's happy in herself, and whether or not she feels confused or lonely.

 

[lhancock90]

Absolutely I think it is a form of neglect.
But no, I don't think children should be taken away. I think help should be offered out to the entire family.
I do think much of childhood obesity is the simplicity of ordering a takeaway, little knowledge of healthy simple foods and cost of food.
I do think we see many people now who don't know how to cook, what different healthy foods are etc.