Where does ethical living begin? Is it the way we treat the environment, our fellow man and the creatures that share this Earth with us? Sure they are all vitally important and something that we all need to be conscious of and responsible for but there is something of far greater urgency closer to home that we sometimes get badly wrong. I am of course talking about parenting.
Good parenting and ethical living
Good parenting is the root of so much good. Strong family bonds are the cornerstone of so much that is right in so many societies. But when we get it wrong we seem to get it wrong in a big way which brings into question the very essence of our nature.
We are born with intrinsic child rearing skills honed by centuries of evolution. We instinctively know what to do when a child is crying and are able to identify what is needed to correct the problem. It’s in our very nature to care for and protect the young and whilst there will always be small numbers in any society who struggle more than most there is one white Elephant in the room that we have all ignored for too long. I am of course talking about childhood obesity.
The ethics of childhood obesity
From an ethical stand point this seems to me to be a great collective failing of many Western societies. The fact that 50% of all obese children remain obese into adulthood is a shocking statistic when you consider the health implications and mortality rates that come with this problem. And yet we continue to allow it to happen to the most vulnerable citizens in our society.
It is incumbent on all of us to get a grip on this issue before another generation suffers a premature death at the hands of this problem. That is why, in the following infographic, I have attempted to pull together disparate research on childhood toy options, how they have changed over recent decades and how the sedentary life that is now all pervasive needs to be addressed given the health implications listed at the bottom of the graphic.
Source List
Journal of the American Medical Association
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2010-01-13-obesity-rates_N.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity_in_the_United_States
http://www.getamericafit.org/statistics-obesity-in-america.html
http://www.safekids.com/2010/01/24/kids-spend-7-5-hours-per-day-on-entertainment-media/
About Grace Pamer
Childhood obesity is one of the biggest healthcare concerns in our country. It is important that it is talked about because so many parents are endangering their children and putting them at risk for fatal diseases. It is a terrible epidemic. Many argue that it is more expensive to feed their children healthy foods than it is to go to the nearest fast food restaurant and get them dinner on the dollar menu. This may be true but, at what cost are you willing to set your children up for a lifetime of health problems and ridicule?
Cutting costs on your kids health is not the place to start. Feed them healthy foods and take them to the doctor, dentist, and eye care professionals. It is important that parents practice preventative medicine. Cutting costs on healthcare is risky.
Jason recently posted..10 Addictive Foods That Cause the Most Cavities
Absolutely so Jason.
I was just watching a documentary on TV the other night about the state of our childrens teeth here in the UK. It was absolutely shocking and a real insight as to how poor diets with hidden sugars and also lots of sweets,biscuits and cakes that were given to the children all the time. One little girl was only five years old with all bad teeth being taken out but after her surgery she threw a huge tantrum demanding some goodies to eat….and mum gave her some soft sweets to calm her down. Shocking isn’t it?
Nice to see another Jason comment on here. I agree with what you are saying, childhood obesity is a growing concern for Americans. The dinner table has been replaced, and in some cases forgotten altogether by the modern family. In its stead, we now have a plethora of fast food chains and their cost effective “dollar menus”. And I understand your shock Karen. Go down the grocery store aisle in the states, and if you can find one label that doesn’t include corn syrup, sugar, or some kind of preservative (I.e. sodium Benzoate) you just won the lottery! The effects of all this on our health, and the precedent it sets for the lifestyles of our children is startling. It has us in the life insurance business wondering how we will be able to adjust premiums to make room for the “fattening of america”.
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Well as you mention in your post ( in your CommentLuv) Jason, there are increased premiums for life insurance dependant on certain criteria and many of them surrounding obesity.
It just seems we are a downward spiral with increase in unhealthy foods often with with hidden additives and an increase of technology use that in turn decreases exercise levels. Kids sit at computers for hours on end instead of playing sports or games outside in the fresh air and burning up energy.
It seems a never ending debate though and some would say that as the planet sorts itelf out then we may all be going back to self sustaining villages with people that have to work the fields to keep themsleves fed. That might appear I’m going off topic a bit but at the end of the day it’s a possibility that we are soon reaching the point of no return … all supermarkets will be gone as would all the fast food chains( now that would be a great thing :-) ) and food would be grown and eaten locally and healthily. Why don’t people begin with the latter now? lack of education and most people just havent got a clue what is happening ( or maybe they just don’t care)
We could go on for hours couldn’t we?
I am very particular when it comes to children’s oral health. I know each aspect on the physicality of a child is just as important as all the others but I find oral health as one of the major and earliest problem that we, guardians encounter once kids started taking in solid foods. But of course, we have to distribute our attention to other things concerning their health.
Hi
The make up of society has a big part to play here. Capitalism has its great attributes but one of the down sides is. It will sell you something that we all know is not the best for the health of you your child or society as a whole but where everything is governed by profit margins if the healthy option is not going to make them money then your not going to get that pushed forward. The other problem is they make the healthy option more expensive encouraging you to buy what they want you to buy. Again all to do with profit.
A shame really but without a fundamental re think things will not change.
Thanks lee
Fantastic Grace, the thing the most amazed me was that 1 in 4 children don’t take part in any physical activity! That’s enourmous. Your graphic clearly shows that a big part of the problem is toys today don’t require anything physical, when I was a kid which was only 10 years ago the first playstation had just came out and the games where extremely basic.
Even though I loved playing it I would still much rather build bases and climb trees etc…
I feel however must of the responsibility lies with the parents, if their kids are playing these games to often they simply need to put there foot down and only let them play on it say 2-3 days a week. Kids would soon then find other things to do.
I feel some parents are indeed not being very caring toward their children. Obesity is a very big issue, it causes various complicated diseases. Parents have to be more responsible, they have to play a very important role in fighting obesity.
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Obesity is a serious issue these days. Some parents aren’t responsible enough. They should communicate with their children more to learn their problems and find a solution. Obesity is a bad thing. Kids should eat a balanced diet and have an exercise!
Having worked at a high school in South Africa, I have seen the decline in physical activity among children and teenagers. The state had a very big role to play in this as they completely cut out physical education from the syllabus. The make of the home has also attributed to the decline in physical activity in younger people. In most homes both parents work so they have little time to spend time with their children. So the easiest way to keep their kids occupied would be to sit them in front a TV/Computer and let them entertain themselves. Parents needs to take up their responsibility for their children
Very interesting post,
Tony