This generation of kids might very well not live as long as their parents because of their poor diets and lack of exercise, contends a new report on our growing obesity crisis.
Kids aren't eating enough fruit and veggies, are packing away too much junk food, and not getting enough exercise, especially in the winter, found the Heart and Stroke Report on the Health of Ontario's Kids.
As a result, Ontario kids face an unhealthy childhood and are at risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
"This report should serve as a wake-up call that the health of our children is not making the grade," Dr. Marco Di Buono, director of research of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, told reporters at a morning news conference.
"Despite mandatory nutrition labelling and a new edition of Canada's Food Guide, we're not seeing bigger gains in healthy eating."
The survey, the first of its kind conducted in Ontario, found the number of children eating the daily recommendations for fruit and vegetables has dropped by more than a third in just one decade, when rates were already low.
Ten years ago, one in five children nationally ate five or more servings of fruit and vegetables daily, which just meets Health Canada's daily recommended minimum. By 2009, the rate in Ontario had dropped to a mere one in eight children (13 per cent).
While more parents are reporting their kids are eating whole grains, the number reporting their kids are eating junk food has remained consistently high.
Three-quarters of children still consume high-fat, high-sugar or high-salt snack foods up to twice a week; 24 per cent of parents report their kids eat junk food three or more times a week.
There is one bit of good news in the report: 85 per cent of parents reported their children are physically active during the summer. But during the winter, the proportion of kids who are active drops dramatically, to only 57 per cent.
All of it is seriously compromising the health of our children, says Di Buono.
"Obesity is not just an esthetic issue. We are seeing children with blood cholesterol levels that put them at high risk of heart disease. We are seeing teenagers with high blood pressure levels that are more akin to what you would see in their grandparents," he said.
Survey may not paint accurate picture
The survey was conducted on a sample of 1,189 Ontario parents of children aged 6 to 12 years. While the results are disheartening, the Heart and Stroke Foundation admits the real picture may be even worse.
The poll was based on parents responding to questions about their children's activities and eating habits, and parents tend to view their children's habits "through rose-coloured glasses," the Foundation suggests.
For example, in this year's the poll, 14 per cent of parents reported their child is "somewhat overweight" and another one per cent said their child is "very overweight," for a total of 15 per cent.
Yet, Statistics Canada reports that over the past 25 years, the rate of overweight and obesity among Canadian children aged two to 17 years has grown to 26 per cent. In Ontario, the current rate of overweight and obesity is slightly higher at 28 per cent. That data comes from researchers who actually weighed and measured the children.
"This suggests that, like many 'self-report' findings, parents do not accurately perceive their child's weight," says Dr. Sean Wharton, Heart and Stroke Foundation medical advisor and obesity expert.
Similarly, parents may be under estimating their children's junk food consumption -- and overestimating their children's level of physical activity.
"Childhood is a crucial time where habits are developed that, in many cases, can last a lifetime," says Dr. Wharton.
"It's a natural instinct to not see the worst in anyone - especially in our children. We need parents to think about the importance of actions that promote a healthy weight as a means of prevention in the same way they look at washing your hands, brushing your teeth and getting your vaccines."
Is the recession a factor?
As for why Ontario kids are not getting their daily servings of fruits and vegetables, it may come to money. A survey released in February of this year from the national arm of the Heart and Stroke Foundation, found that almost three-quarters of families with children occasionally or almost always go without certain foods because of cost.
Half (48 per cent) of all parents polled reported they at least occasionally have to go without buying particular types of food because of cost, with another 24 per cent reporting this occurs almost every time they shop. Rates ranged across the province, from a low of 52 per cent in Southwestern Ontario to a high of 79 per cent in Northern Ontario.
The top three food categories that families are choosing to skip when money is tight were:
- meat and poultry (reported by 32 per cent of respondents)
- fresh fruit and vegetables (28 per cent)
- dairy products (21 per cent).
"How is it possible to live a healthy life, if you don't have access or can't afford basic, healthy food?" wondered Dr. Wharton.
Dr. Di Buono says trying to figure out who is to blame for the problem of growing childhood obesity, whether it's parents, schools, governments or the kids themselves, is neither helpful nor productive.
"The issue is very complex - far more than simply individual bad choices. Childhood obesity is a societal problem and will require a societal response," he said.
To try to effect change, the Heart and Stroke Foundation created the Spark Community Advocacy Fund. It provides funding to community groups that offer heart-healthy opportunities for kids. It's also calling for changes in four areas:
- Ensure access to affordable, adequate, nutritious, and culturally appropriate foods for all Ontarians.
- Encourage active living and physical activity.
- Develop essential processes and frameworks at provincial and municipal levels for integrated planning and action.
- Facilitate collaborative and synergistic action by Individuals, community groups, not-for-profit agencies, media, private sector and governments.
Michelle Brownrigg of Active Healthy Kids Canada says parents can be role models to their kids by staying active themselves. "Parents who are active have children who are more active," she notes.
That can mean playing together, going for walks together and eating together as a family, which has been shown to lead to healthier eating.
