UK NEWS

HEART THREAT TO JUNK GENERATION

DANGER: A diet of TV and junk food can lead to obesity and disease

Monday May 28,2007

By Sarah Westcott

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THE couch-potato lifestyle has reached “epidemic” levels among children, health experts warned last night.

A diet of television, computer games and junk food is creating a diabetes and heart trouble timebomb for an entire generation, they say.

A survey of more than 3,500 pupils from five inner-city secondary schools, found that only half the children walked to school.

And half of them also spent an astonishing four hours or more a day watching television or playing computer games.

The study follows figures that show a generation of children are so obese that they may not live beyond the age of 50.

In the past decade the number of obese children has doubled and now tops one in four with more than 38 per cent of black girls now regarded as overweight.

The University of Leicester study funded by the British Heart Foundation identified low levels of physical activity in both South Asian and white children.

Professor Kamlesh Khunti, who led the study, said: “Overall the physical activity levels in inner city schoolchildren are very low and parents, schools and community health providers need to address the results of these findings to reduce the future risks of children developing diabetes and heart disease.”

In recent years, changes to the way children play have dramatically reduced the number of calories they burn off.

Parental fears stop youngsters from playing outside and computer games also mean many do little exercise outside school time.

Inside school the problem is worse. Since 1993 up to 5,000 playing fields have been sold off.

There are also fewer sports lessons and pupils have little space to run around at break time. At the same time, fast food consumption has soared, with companies using TV to advertise directly to children.

Earlier this year a study found that couch-potato Britons are costing the health service more than £1billion a year.

Child nutrition professor Alan Lucas of University College London has also warned of the long-term problem of obese children.

“Thirty per cent of UK children are now considered to be obese or overweight. It is an immense public health issue in both immediate and long-term health,” he said.

Responding to the latest study, Dr Mike Knapton of the British Heart Foundation said last night: “This is an important piece of BHF research.

“The study identified that most children don’t take enough exercise – with South Asian children particularly less likely to walk to school.

“This large study tells us more about the lifestyle differences of ethnic groups which helps us to understand why some groups are more at risk from heart disease.

“Research like this will help us to better tailor health care and health education to today’s multi-cultural UK population.”