Parents to Blame for Childhood Obesity

A new study says just under 70 per cent of physicians believe parents are to blame for childhood obesity.

SERMO, which is a global network of physicians, released the information on Wednesday. Out of over 2,200 doctors that were surveyed from around the world, 30 per cent said parents were somewhat to blame, and only one per cent said parents were not to blame.

Despite the numbers, not all physicians agree on the main source of the problem. An ophthalmologist states "So we have now gone from fat-shaming saying the fat person is lazy to now blaming the parents of obese kids. Are they not knowledgeable? They don't parent firmly enough? They won't admit that their kid needs to lose weight? What is the excuse now? I won't deny that there are some examples like this but I don't think it is the majority."

One pediatrician stated, "Clearly, parents need to shoulder some of the responsibility, and the blame. As parents, we have to set an example and to promote within our families healthy eating and healthy exercise. However, children are beset on all sides by their non-parental environment as well, which includes access to cheap, high-caloric foods; glitzy advertisements; a raft of screen and video entertainment; low-nutritional value school lunches; and on and on. Parents can be perfect role models, and still lose in this effort. But at least they stack the odds more favorably for their kids."

In the United States one in six children are said to be obese. According to Statistics Canada, only on third of Canadian children are considered overweight or obese.

The World Health Organization reports that childhood obesity is the most serious threat to human health. Obese children are at higher risk of Type 2 Diabetes, asthma, and heart failure. According to the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, obese children are more likely to become obese adults putting them at higher risk of developing Cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.