i.shui.tech

Let’s talk health. In particular, childhood health. As a parent, it would seem common sense to take an interest in this topic, but seeing the rise in obesity of children my daughter’s age (6) makes me realize that the lack of health knowledge in adults quickly permeates to their children. I believe that a healthy body is part and parcel to a healthy mind. If we, as a nation, are to concern ourselves with the mental and intellectual development of our children we must take into consideration their overall health. I’ll be writing much more on this in posts to come, but for now, a couple of timely reports in the common media have emerged on the topic:

First a research report from the U.K. that correlates watching food commercials with overeating. The Wall Street Journal reports it here. This shouldn’t be news to anyone. Media influences children more than anyone. Even my daughter will ask for ice cream when it appears in an online game. Of course, a typical response is to mandate limits of high fat and sugar food commercials during prime viewing times for children. I applaud the effort and find it reactionary. Teaching responsible use of media should be a parent’s prerogative, but as a parent I understand the monumental task that entails. It requires a community approach. Unfortunately, obesity is a taboo subject and we often go to great lengths to avoid talking about it.

The second report finds social networks influence obesity and can be found here:

A person’s chance of becoming obese significantly increased if he or she had an obese friend, sibling, or spouse, the researchers report…

Again, this should come as no surprise. Our friends influence our habits. I have a personal response to this: I try to make it known to my friends when I make healthy choices (despite the comments from co-workers about my sardines for lunch). Again, a community that focuses on a healthy lifestyle could make a tremendous difference.

Here’s some food for thought: if a teacher does indeed have lasting influence on a child, what does it mean if the teacher demonstrates unhealthy habits (smokes, eats unhealthy foods, etc.)? Schools should institute wellness programs for staff as well as children. More on this later.

Caveat: I realize that we have been inundated with research on the genetic predispositions towards obesity and I trust the validity of these reports. I also believe we are all genetically predisposed to obesity at varying degrees as a result of evolutionary necessity. I believe most obesity is the result of unhealthy choices and understand the difficulty in fighting the influence of media and friends. But it still is a choice. Some of my best friends are thin.

~ by Quyen on July 30, 2007.