Childhood obesity is a continually growing problem
Childhood obesity is a growing problem, and thanks to fizzy drinks and lack of exercise kids are preparing for a life of heart disease.
A new report has indicated that three out of every ten children is overweight or obese and if they don't get moving around this figure will only increase.
According to the research, children are more likely to have a sugary drink every day than eat their five portions of fruit or veg and the vast majoirty have less than an hours exercise.
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) and Oxford University studied a number of health statistics which found that teenagers perform the worst in the data, with 85 per cent of girls and 73 per cent of boys aged 13 failing to do the recommended one hour of physical activity a day, in comparison with 20 per cent of girls and 33 per cent of boys aged 11.
The data suggests there has been little improvement in eating, drinking and exercise habits in spite of the concern about obesity and the launch of the government's child measurement programme, which warns parents if their children are overweight.
‘These figures are a warning that many of our children are in grave danger of developing coronary heart disease in the future if they continue to live the same lifestyle. This is simply unacceptable,’ said Simon Gillespie, chief executive of the BHF.
The report shows that 80% of children in England are not eating the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Data from Scotland suggests they are more likely to eat crisps, biscuits or chocolates and sweets once a day or more.
A lot of snacking goes on, but children are apt to skip the most important meal of the day – breakfast – says the report. Almost half of boys and over a third of girls aged 13 go without it.
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