Should parents of obese children face legal sanction?

Einhard · 08-07-2012 09:47AM #1

Most people acknowledge by now that smoking is one of the worst things one can do to one's body over a lifetime. It causes huge damages to the lungs and heart in particular, and approx 50% of smokers will die prematurely from related illnesses. It costs the state massively both financially (although, in fairness, smokers die younger and pay huge taxes on their addiction), and also in terms of social capital. Because of all this, the idea that a parent would allow or encourage a child to smoke is absolutely unacceptable, and any such parent would face a severe legal reprimand.

Obesity, too, is a hugely damaging condition. Unlike smoking which, in the main, affects the lungs and the heart, the effects of obesity are far broader. Practically every single illness or condition, with the exception of osteoporosis, is exacerbated by obesity. It leads directly to stroke, heart attack, diabetes. It leads to skin problems, problems with all the major organs. It leads, directly, to premature death. Not only that, but it's estimated to cost the state €4 billion a year in terms of the HSE alone.

And yet, 300 000 Irish kids are obese. That's about 20%, and the figure is still rising. The vast majority of these incidences are the direct responsibility of the parents. Kids become fat and obese because of the poor choices of the parents. In short, kids have their lives shortened and their quality of life reduced in the longterm, because of the actions of their parents. And yet, few people really bat an eyelid when they see parents accompanied by their tubby children waddling after them like fatten ducklings.

My question therefore, is should the parents of very fat or obese kids be treated the same way as parents who allow their kids to smoke, or engage in other very harmful activities? And if not, why not?

My (tentative) opinion is that, such parents should face some form of sanction.

TL;DR? Because obesity causes so many longterm health problems and lower life expectancy, and also costs the state huge amounts of money, should the parents of obese kids face legal sanction, in the same way that those who encourage their kids to smoke do?

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar · 08-07-2012 09:51AM

should lock parents up for not feeding their children enough vegetables, or allowing their children to develop bad eyesight, every filling or tooth removed should result in the same treatment for the parent but without anaesthetic, parents of children who die in accidents should have a limb amputated with rusty spoons, parents whose children achieve less than 90% in state exams should be forced to shoot their children in the gut as a lesson to both, parents of children who have sex before legal age should be hog tied and thrown into the jail cell of a randy prisoner overnight.

if we do all this, society will be solved.

Bassfish · 08-07-2012 09:57AM

Technically they can be brought to court. Social services would not get involved for the sole reason of a child being fat but if the obesity was indicative of general neglect, i.e a kid being given nothing but take away foods and being left to feed themselves, and it had gotten to a chronic stage, mommy or daddy could find themselves hit with a supervision order from the courts to take better care of the kid.

girl in the striped socks · 08-07-2012 10:02AM

Take the fat momma & the fat poppa & force them to take cooking classes. The kids might have some chance then of being handed proper home made food instead of over processed ****e out of the Chinese or the frozen food section.
The next time you are food shopping & you see an obese person, take a look at the food in their trolley. You would have a heart attack just gazing at it never mind eating it.

But yes I think there should be repercussions on the parents of obese kids.

krudler · 08-07-2012 10:04AM

Obese kids aren't fat, they're kidnap resistant.

daltonmd · 08-07-2012 10:15AM

No.

Given the results in the past as to what has happened to our children when the states gets involved, I believe that the only involvement should be through education.

We have to encourage parents and children that help is available without fear of prosecution. If parents are worried about being prosecuted then they aren't worried about the needs of their children. I believe that this would ultimately cause more problems down the line.

We have to look closely at the issue instead of trying to prosecute the very people we need to help the solve the issue.

Of the 20% of 9 year olds that are overweight, the majority of them are girls. They are also from a lower socio economical background.
It's also been shown that the better educated the parents are the healthier children are.

So again, education, not prosecution is the key.

Of course we do have to look at the parents behaviour, but we also have to look at how we promote/advertise food to our children. Walt Disney are pulling out of their long partnership with McDonalds and that is an indication of how these things are changing.

We also have to look at Supermarkets roles in this issue. How they promote crap food at low prices, sweets at the checkout or dotted around the aisles.

Food additives, hard to read/decipher labels, promotion of "healthy" foods that may look healthy on the surface but are sugar and salt leaden.

Take cereals, aimed exclusively at children which are possibly the worst thing a parent can feed their kids, bright colours,cartoon pictures, toy inserts - it's hard enough being a parent with having an entire worldwide rich powerful industry to fight against.

It has to be a multi-disciplined approach.

I'd rather see these compainies and our own state funded national TV station legally sanctioned before parents.

Yakuza · 08-07-2012 10:16AM

Soc/Politics is thataway

>
OP, did you actually expect a reasoned debate in AH?

Gummy Panda · 08-07-2012 10:20AM

Put the kids on a reality tv show - Fast animals, slow obese kids

"oh noes... I got honey on my legs"

snickerpuss · 08-07-2012 10:21AM

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

or allowing their children to develop bad eyesight.

What? By like poking their eyeballs? The whole sitting close to the tv thing isn't true ya know.

ZX7R · 08-07-2012 10:21AM

not all obesity is caused by over eating sometimes it is medical,Also the way the weight ratio index works is flayed,if your child plays ruby or boxing they could be classed as obese and yet have 0% fat,also what if your child is a runner or atleic they might have a weight that says there malnurshed and yet be 100% fit.This country is a nanny state no its worse, its like living in nazi germany and been a jew

Sky King · 08-07-2012 10:22AM

We also have to look at Supermarkets roles in this issue. How they promote crap food at low prices....

While I agree with most of what you said in your post, I don't accept this. The fruit and veg in aldi is DIRT cheap. You can buy enough apples for a kid for a week for €2 in a bag. A bag of spuds is about €3. Etc.

There's no excuse for harbouring fat kids other than ignorance / laziness.

hondasam · 08-07-2012 10:23AM

I think kids deserve a treat same as adults but healthy eating and exercise need to be encouraged from an early age.
This might seem unfair but obese kids tend to have overweight parent/s.

mikemac1 · 08-07-2012 10:27AM

I struggle down the footpath at certain times of the day as half of it is taken up by cars parked on it.

Just abandoned anywhere, god forbid Johnny and Mary have to walk a few hundred metres, some of these would drive into the classroom if they could

Now I know some parents have to rush to work straight afterwards in the morning, fair enough.
But what about the evenings?

And I see hardly anyone in the local school cycling, do kids not bring bikes to school anymore?

girl in the striped socks · 08-07-2012 10:45AM

mikemac1 wrote: »

I struggle down the footpath at certain times of the day as half of it is taken up by cars parked on it.

Just abandoned anywhere, god forbid Johnny and Mary have to walk a few hundred metres, some of these would drive into the classroom if they could

Now I know some parents have to rush to work straight afterwards in the morning, fair enough.
But what about the evenings?

And I see hardly anyone in the local school cycling, do kids not bring bikes to school anymore?

Kids aren't allowed to walk, cycle or get a bus anywhere because of all the paedophiles hanging around the school entrance looking to snatch them.

ladypip · 08-07-2012 10:48AM

I think you are all assuming every child who is overweight has a lazy obese parent. I was an overweight child with two healthy siblings and two healthy parents, my mother gave me the same food as my siblings had, she cooked a home made dinner every night, we had healthier lunches than most kids in the eighties going to school, I didn't secretly eat, I was brought to nutritionists and specialist drs at a young age because of my weight.

Two points I will make about this;
1. It was discovered I had a hormonal disorder which affects how fat is absorbed by the body but only in later life when it started affecting my menstrual cycle.

2. My confidence was destroyed by constantly having to deal with comments and going to " special drs" and I began to feel that if I was going to be fat I might as well have the benefit of eating all the nice things everyone thought I was eating in the first place, so I did and became a very overweight teenager as a result.

If I had been left alone and encouraged to throw myself into sports I'm positive it would have been more beneficial to me than all the attention I was given for my abnormal weight gain.

While I do agree that some parents could stand to educate themselves about nutrition and exercise for themselves and their children. Don't tar everyone with the same brush and please don't think that every overweight parent has an overweight child its simply not true. My son is very healthy has a great attitude toward food and loves sport, maybe I was extra vigilant because I didnt want the same experiences for him as I had.

Can you imagine the guilt and shame a child would feel if their parent was brought to court because they are obese?

Immaculate Pasta · 08-07-2012 10:49AM

Public flogging with a big wet fish is the way to go. :cool:

mikemac1 · 08-07-2012 10:51AM

ladypip wrote: »

Two points I will make about this;
1. It was discovered I had a hormonal disorder which affects how fat is absorbed by the body

I knew a class-mate like that too, it happens alright

But it's a tiny percentage
For everyone else, children and parents it's lifestyle that has them in their condition

ladypip · 08-07-2012 10:54AM

mikemac1 wrote: »

I knew a class-mate like that too, it happens alright

But it's a tiny percentage
For everyone else, children and parents it's lifestyle that has them in their condition

That was only half of my point, I was trying to convey the point of an overweight child. Drawing attention to the fact that I was overweight and getting special treatment for it done more harm than good.

Gummy Panda · 08-07-2012 10:57AM

ladypip wrote: »

mikemac1 wrote: »

I knew a class-mate like that too, it happens alright

But it's a tiny percentage
For everyone else, children and parents it's lifestyle that has them in their condition

That was only half of my point, I was trying to convey the point of an overweight child. Drawing attention to the fact that I was overweight and getting special treatment for it done more harm than good.

For you though. What we are doing now isn't working so we do need to take steps

Eoin247 · 08-07-2012 11:01AM

There has been much debate in the UK about a related topic. Should obese people/smokers or the like who made these lifestyle choices be allowed to use public health services and use taxpayer money for related diseases? I think they shouldn't.

In the post above me, you have an exceptional case. A doctors note would suffice to show that you had a hormonal disorder and that being obese wasn't your choice.

08-07-2012 11:08AM

information is the key

there are enough intelligent adults out there who think they're being healthy by eating bran flakes, special k, or nutrigrain bars as it is - it's no wonder kids will be fed muck if this is the norm for people

08-07-2012 11:08AM

mikemac1 wrote: »

I struggle down the footpath at certain times of the day as half of it is taken up by cars parked on it.

Just abandoned anywhere, god forbid Johnny and Mary have to walk a few hundred metres, some of these would drive into the classroom if they could

Now I know some parents have to rush to work straight afterwards in the morning, fair enough.
But what about the evenings?

And I see hardly anyone in the local school cycling, do kids not bring bikes to school anymore?

No, kids don't walk or bike to school anymore because they stand a real risk of being run over by the parents of their classmates who are being driven to school.

Funny really, when I went to school, only the rich kids were brought in by car!

ladypip · 08-07-2012 11:08AM

Steps are being taken, but the results wont show themselves until the current generation are adults, Most if not all schools have a healthy lunch policy ensuring children are eating a good lunch coupled with food education. Some schools have a breakfast club where children can receive a healthy breakfast this would be most beneficial to children of parents who are the stereotypical lazy uneducated parent.

My four year old done a healthy eating week in play school which was then followed by a fruit on Friday program, where every child had to bring a piece of fruit on a Friday and eat it. Most of them had fruit everyday but there were a couple of children who only had fruit on a Friday.

Things are being done to educate parents through their children as well.

Education is key its the solution to most problems.

Giselle · 08-07-2012 11:14AM

Einhard wrote: »

Because of all this, the idea that a parent would allow or encourage a child to smoke is absolutely unacceptable, and any such parent would face a severe legal reprimand.

What severe legal reprimands do the parents of teen smokers face?

I see hordes of young teenagers smoking after school lets out, but I've never ever heard of a parent being prosecuted for it.

08-07-2012 11:14AM

Einhard wrote: »

TL;DR? Because obesity causes so many longterm health problems and lower life expectancy, and also costs the state huge amounts of money, should the parents of obese kids face legal sanction, in the same way that those who encourage their kids to smoke do?

The message is unlikely to get through until parents start to bury their middle aged children!
Reminding them that they will remove years off their children’s life expectancy, may get the message through to some people.

up for anything · 08-07-2012 11:20AM

Einhard wrote: »

My question therefore, is should the parents of very fat or obese kids be treated the same way as parents who allow their kids to smoke, or engage in other very harmful activities? And if not, why not?

TL;DR? Because obesity causes so many longterm health problems and lower life expectancy, and also costs the state huge amounts of money, should the parents of obese kids face legal sanction, in the same way that those who encourage their kids to smoke do?

I didn't know that there were legal sanctions applied to those people who encourage their children to smoke. What are they?

Should those same legal sanctions be applied to people who encourage their children to drink alcohol by their own example, by having it readily available in the home, by allowing them to go out to pubs clutching fake/borrowed id before the legal age of drinking, by never punishing them for getting pissed unless maybe they are brought home by the police or carried home by their friends, by allowing house parties to take place/dropping their children off at them where those same underage drinkers arrive clutching a six pack of Wicked, cider or a bottle of Jack Daniels which now seems to be the preferred method of obtaining fun/oblivion by both sexes at an early age. Alcohol does as much damage as both obesity and smoking. That isn't going to happen then because it would mean a large proportion of the adult population in this country would have to curtail their own drinking and re-educate their own attitudes towards alcohol.

mikemac1 wrote: »

some of these would drive into the classroom if they could....

Now I know some parents have to rush to work straight afterwards in the morning, fair enough.
But what about the evenings?

And I see hardly anyone in the local school cycling, do kids not bring bikes to school anymore?

girl in the striped socks wrote: »

Kids aren't allowed to walk, cycle or get a bus anywhere because of all the paedophiles hanging around the school entrance looking to snatch them.

Fair comments. However, those parents who have been at work all day might face the same time constraints in the afternoons and evenings - varying pick up times from primary school, secondary school and childminders - having to supervise homework, after school activities, cook, clean, laundry, bath times, bedtimes, prepare for the next day on the same hamster wheel. That may not allow time for a brisk, healthy walk home from school.

Also it is very easy to put down parental fears of pedophiles and abductions when such events are may be very rare but all it takes is one to destroy and hurt a family for a very, very long time. I would hazard a guess that Philip Cairns' parents wish that they had driven him back to school that day.

Gummy Panda · 08-07-2012 11:21AM

bluewolf wrote: »

information is the key

there are enough intelligent adults out there who think they're being healthy by eating bran flakes, special k, or nutrigrain bars as it is - it's no wonder kids will be fed muck if this is the norm for people

But my kids need bran flakes for fibre!!!!

/doesn't feed kids veg

dark crystal · 08-07-2012 11:24AM

Yes, get the nanny state to police what parents feed their kids at home. That'll definitely work.

Jester252 · 08-07-2012 11:30AM

Giselle wrote: »

What severe legal reprimands do the parents of teen smokers face?

I see hordes of young teenagers smoking after school lets out, but I've never ever heard of a parent being prosecuted for it.

Having their lungs filled with Tar?
Life in-prison?

monkeypants · 08-07-2012 11:34AM

Bring on the Lard Court. Of course, the judge and all the other staff involved will be thin and fit so as to set a good example.

Eoin247 · 08-07-2012 11:43AM

Jester252 wrote: »

Having their lungs filled with Tar?
Life in-prison?

Life in prison for your teenager smoking? If that were the case there would be more prisoners than workers in Ireland 3/4 of the teenagers i know, or go to school with, smoke.

Should parents of obese children face legal sanction?

Comments