Monday 4th January 2016- The Guardian: Children aged four to 10 ‘have equivalent of 5,500 sugar cubes a year’

‘Children aged between four and 10 consume 22kg in sugar every year, according to a public health campaign urging parents to take control of their offspring’s diet.

The 22kg is equivalent to 5,500 sugar cubes – with soft drinks, biscuits, buns, cakes, breakfast cereals, confectionery, fruit juices, pastries and puddings the main culprits.

As part of its “Sugar Smart campaign”, Change4Life has launched a free app that allows people to scan the barcode of a product to reveal the amount of sugar it contains in cubes and grams. It warns that obesity and tooth decay are among the consequences of children consuming three times as much of the substance as they should.

Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist for Public Health England, said: “Children are having too much sugar. This can lead to painful tooth decay, weight gain and obesity, which can also affect children’s wellbeing as they are more likely to be bullied, have low self-esteem and miss school.

“Children aged five shouldn’t have more than 19 grams of sugar per day – that’s five cubes, but it’s very easy to have more. Our easy-to-use app will help parents see exactly where the sugar in their children’s diet is coming from, so they can make informed choices about what to cut down on.”

The maximum added sugar intake for seven- to 10-year-olds is 24g, or six sugar cubes; for anyone aged 11 or older, it is 30g or seven sugar cubes.’

‘Last July, the UK’s official nutrition advisers said dietary sugar should account for no more than 5% of daily calories consumed, half the previous recommended limit.

Obesity costs the NHS £5.1bn per year and is projected to rise to £9.7bn by 2050, with wider costs to society estimated to reach £49.9bn per year.

In 2013, almost a third (31%) of five-year-olds and almost half (46%) of eight-year-olds had tooth decay. It was the most common reason for five- to nine-year-olds to be admitted to hospital. Evidence suggests high sugar intake is linked to deprivation.’

Related Articles:

Children aged four to 10 ‘have equivalent of 5,500 sugar cubes a year’

Children aged five eat their bodyweight in sugar, experts warn- The Independent

Children aged five eating own weight in sugar each year as parents urged to check products with free app- The Telegraph

Parents urged to get free sugar app to check products- BBC News

Thursday 26th November 2015- The Guardian: Fewer obese children starting school, but third leave overweight

‘Fewer obese children are starting in school reception classes in England, according to results from the school measurement programme, but a fifth still start their school life overweight and a third are overweight or obese by the time they leave for secondary school.

In the last year, 9.1% of children starting reception were obese, compared with 9.5% in 2013-14, according to the health and social care information service that collects the data from the national school measurement programme. In 2005-6 when significant data was first collected, the figure was 9.9%.

Over a fifth of the children (21.9%), who are aged four and five, are still overweight or obese, but that, again, is a drop from last year, when it was 22.5%.

By the time children leave primary school, aged 10 or 11, the situation has always been worse, with a third either overweight or obese. The new figures show there is no change in the proportion of obese children in year 6, which is 19.1%, the same as last year. But there is a slight drop again in the numbers who are either overweight or obese, from 33.5% to 33.2%.’

Related Articles:

Fewer obese children starting school, but third leave overweight

One in five children obese leaving primary school- BBC News

Saturday 20th June 2015- The Lancet: Managing the tide of childhood obesity

‘The 2013 Global Burden of Disease Study showed a rise since 1980 of 47% in children with a BMI of greater than 25. Child obesity is associated with a greater risk of obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and premature death and disability in adulthood. Obese children and adolescents have greater risk of bone and joint problems, sleep apnoea, and social and psychological problems such as poor self-esteem and stigmatisation. Obesity is also on the rise in low-income and middle-income countries, with undernutrition-related stunting and obesity creating a double burden of disease for populations.’

‘With an estimated 2·1 billion people overweight globally, tackling childhood obesity is one of the most serious challenges of our generation, requiring a societal and systems change in our approach to food, lifestyle, and the environments children grow up in.’

See:

Managing the tide of childhood obesity

Monday 20th October 2014- The Telegraph: Childhood obesity is a ‘national emergency, says Floella Benjamin

‘Lady Benjamin, a Liberal Democrat peer, told the House of Lords: “Childhood obesity has become an epidemic across the country. Forty per cent of children in some areas are overweight.’

See:

Childhood obesity is a ‘national emergency, says Floella Benjamin