Childhood Obesity Week

543 are supporting Childhood Obesity Week, which runs from 3^rd to 9^th July 2017.

This week, 543 aims to raise awareness of childhood obesity, including the immediate and long lasting effects it has on health and wellbeing. We’ve rounded up a few facts and tips to help us all be more aware of the problem and how to help prevent it.

• 1/4 of children aged 2 to 10 years old and 1/3 of 11-15 year olds are overweight in the UK. Obese children are more likely to become obese adults and have a higher risk of disability and premature mortality rate into adulthood.
• Obesity is linked to a wide range of Illnesses, including:
  • Type 2 Diabetes
  • Asthma
  • Hypertension
  • Heart Disease
  • Cancer
  • Stroke
• When buying packaged food, always check the label! Lots of foods now have the traffic light symbol (green indicates the healthier option; amber is neutral; red are the foods we should cut down on), which gives you a quick access guide to:
  • Fat content
  • Saturated fat content
  • Sugars content
  • Salt content

• Being active is also a great way to keep weight off. Doing something as simple as taking the dog for a long walk, or going on a family bike ride, is fun to do together and keeps you active and healthy.
• Did you know, the Eatwell guide can be downloaded from gov.uk and provides the information to help you with a healthy balanced diet. Check out the Eatwell Guide – free online!
• Being overweight doesn’t just affect our physical health. Overweight and obese children are more likely to experience bullying, which can lead to low self-esteem and low confidence.
• Did you know, if you or your family are in receipt of certain benefits, you could be entitled to Healthy Start vouchers. These can be spent on milk, fruit and vegetables, as well as healthy start vitamins!
• Obese and overweight children tend to eat foods that are high in sugar, which can cause tooth decay. Did you know that the highest cause of school absence is due to toothache?
• Two great online resources:
  • The Change4Life Sugar Smart app is FREE to download and scans the barcode of your food to see how much sugar is in it!
  • Children’s Food Trust is also a brilliant website full of great downloadable resources. Their mission is for every child to eat well at home, in childcare, at school and beyond!

If you have any questions about healthy eating, please call us on 01482 565 488 or visit the Teeth Team website for more resources.