Author:
Publication: The Hindustan Times,
Lucknow
Date: January 17, 2001
The adoption of Western diets and
lifestyles has contributed. to an increase in overweight children in developing
countries, recent research has shown.
Introduction of typically western
diets like junk food and following their lifestyles like feeding one's
baby with formula milk instead of breastfeeding has esulted in developing
countries like India inheriting health problems of developed countries,
says a new study carried out by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Nutritionists warn that the high
number of malnourished children found in such countries should remain a
priority.
The who study found that while,
on an average, the global prevalence of overweight preschool children was
3.3 per cent some developing countries had much higher rates.
In countries such as Egypt, Chile:
Armenia and Algeria, for example, the rate was well over 5 per cent in
Uzbekistan, it was approaching 15 per cent.
The WHO investigation, published
in the American journal of epidemiology, confirmed that in many countries,
the mindless aping of western diets and lifestyles had resulted in a trend
towards more overweight children.
"The problem is, when you introduce
the diets of developed countries, you inherit the health problems of developed
countries," Dr Mercedes De Onis, the lead author of the report said.
According to Dr De Onis, a factor
in keeping children slimmer and healthier was breastfeeding. Mothers who
breastfeed are more likely to have children who are better able to regulate
their weight.
However, many mothers in developing
countries have been persuaded to move to formula milk soon after birth,
a largely Western concept, which means that subsequent attempts to breastfeed
'will fail.' overweight and obese children, if they carry the condition
over in adulthood, are more prone to various illnesses such as heart disease
and diabetes, Dr De Onis said.
In Western countries, child obesity
is a major epidemic, and now is the time to do something about it in the
developing world to stop it getting that bad.
In the US, almost one-in-three children
are overweight even before they reach school age. According to researchers,
environmental factors play a major impact on childhood obesity than genetics.
With satellite channels today beaming
a plethora of images of the west to the developing countries, young children
in these countries are increasingly conscious of what the eat. Girls as
young as five are conscious, about their weight and think about dieting.
Even young children are not immune to the pressure on females to be slim,
they say.
Girls have more concerns than boys
about being thin and they are also more vulnerable to chronic dieting and
binge eating in later life," the researchers say.
In this context, they point out
parents should persist in feeding their children healthy foods, which they
might initially appear to dislike, and avoid encouraging them to take junk
food.
Unfortunately, today what children
in developing countries want to eat is at variance with what their parents
want them to eat, thanks to the influence of the West.
Obesity in children usually results
from consumption of diets that were too high in fat, and too low in fruit
and vegetables, the researchers say.
Obesity leads to a range of health
problems such as diabetes, kidney damage, poor vision and bad circulation.
Dr De Onis said she was hopeful
that education programmes aimed at children could encourage healthier eating.
(UNI)