Childhood obesity triples: AMA launches national awareness campaign
AMA Federal President, Dr Kerryn Phelps, today called on Australian parents to take a more 'hands-on' role in reducing childhood obesity - in consultation with their family doctor.
Speaking at the national launch of AMA Family Doctor Week, Dr Phelps said childhood obesity in Australia had tripled in the past 10 years, with 19.5% of boys and 21.1% of girls now overweight or obese*.
"One in every five Australian children (seven to 15 year olds) is overweight or obese. Why? Because most of us - adults and children - are eating more than we are burning off. It's that simple," Dr Phelps said.
"Literally, parents need to keep their hands on what goes into the supermarket trolley and into school backpacks.
"It is important that children learn what are everyday foods - fruit, vegetables, grains, cereals, dairy foods and lean meats, and what are sometimes foods - sweets, ice cream, fried foods, cake and chips," she said.
Dr Phelps said children were also being bombarded with wrong messages about what food was okay to eat from television, movies and advertising.
"The AMA is calling on the Advertising Standards Bureau of Australia to look closely at the junk food advertising that is saturating children's television programming," she said.
Paediatrician at The Westmead Children's Hospital in Sydney, Associate Professor Louise Baur, said the whole community needed to better understand the 'potent forces' promoting obesity in Australia.
"Increasingly we are using motor vehicles, instead of walking or cycling. We are spending more time in front of computers and watching television. We have a ready availability of fast food with a high fat content and we have moved away from traditional eating patterns because families are busier," she said.
Dr Baur encouraged parents to check with their local GP for advice on healthy eating and activity for the whole family.
AMA Family Doctor Week 2001 - Your Doctor Is With You For Life - aims to promote the important role of the GP in the community.
*Prevalence of overweight and obesity in Australian children and adolescents: Magarey, Daniels and Boulton: Medical Journal of Australia (2001)
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