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 When you take a look around the school playground and a quick glance at the statistics, it would seem that our kids are doing pretty well at staying in shape. Roughly only 1 in 4 Australian and New Zealand children fall into the overweight or obese category. So why all the hype about an obesity epidemic?
A weighty issue
Over the last 20 years our children have become steadily heavier. For example in Australia between 1985-1997 alone, the number of overweight children doubled, and the number of obese children tripled. It's this fast increase that is a major concern. So we need to do all in our power to stop more kids falling out of the healthy weight range, especially as it becomes harder to lose weight once it's gained. Sound familiar?
There's only so many hours in the day
There's a lot of finger pointing when it comes to explaining why we're getting fatter. Fast food has been labelled a culprit along with the impact of hours spent in front of the TV or computer. There's no denying that today's kid are involved in a greater proportion of indoor, sedentary play than past generations.
A 1997 Victorian study linked TV viewing for more than 10 hours per week with the likelihood of a child being overweight, while greater than 20 hours of TV viewing increased the chances of a child becoming obese. Is this because children who watch TV are not playing outside, or is it more the fact that they are eating high fat, high sugar snacks while watching TV?
Shhh…I'm watching the ads
Studies have shown that children who watch more TV have higher energy (kilojoule) intakes. Interestingly Australia has the highest number of food advertisements shown in children's TV viewing times, and 80% of the food products advertised are foods that dietary guidelines class as extras. This all adds up to a lot of exposure to not so nutritious food products and increases the pester power factor when parents are next shopping.
A balancing act
 The truth of the matter is that there are genetic as well as a multitude of environmental factors that determine whether you and your kids lose or gain weight. It comes back to balancing the kilojoules or energy from the food you eat against the kilojoules or energy you use up during the day in incidental and physical activity.
TV time is just one environmental influence that can't take all the obesity blame. It certainly pays to monitor how much time your kids are clocking up each week in front of their favourite shows and games, but it's just as important to stock a healthy pantry and create a home environment that encourages active pursuits.
This text is adapted from the latest book by Karen Inge: "Let's Eat Right! for families" Brolly Books. Available at leading book stores RRP$19.95.
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