National Childhood Obesity Week

Being overweight or obese is no laughing matter for children who very often become the victims of bullying and suffer from low self-esteem.

According to recent research 85 per cent of obese teenagers go on to become obese adults and studies have shown that they are four times more likely to suffer from clinical anxiety and seven times more likely to suffer clinical depression.

Added to this are the physical health implications of being more at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart conditions.

While organisations are calling on the new government to set out its short and long term plans for reducing childhood obesity levels, every parent who is concerned about their child's weight should take action now.

Providing children with well-balanced, nutritious meals including at least five fruits and vegetables a day is the basis to start from as well as cutting out obviously fattening foods like sugar, crisps, cakes and snacks and replacing fizzy drinks and squashes with water.

The best way for children (and adults!) to lose weight is to increase activity and summer is a great time to get kids out and moving.

You need to start slowly and build exercise into your child's daily routine. An overweight child may be very self-conscious so choose actiivities that don't draw attention to their limitations. Swimming is great as once a child is in the water, he's not quite so much on show and making a point of walking everywhere will definitely burn off the calories.

To help your child get – and stay – fit:

• Set goals and don't compare children with each other.
• Targets need to be challenging but achievable.
• Record achievements and reward them.
• Make exercise convenient – if it involves too much hassle or too many arrangements you'll be less likely to keep to your schedule.
• Make it fun!
• Lead by example.

If you are worried about your child's weight, seek help. In the first instance visit your GP and also find out about what facilities and advice are available in your area.

Throughout National Childhood Obesity Week, MEND launches its first-ever MEND Move It Week in a bid to encourage more children and their families to get active together.

To celebrate MEND Move It Week, families across the UK will be "moving it" at fun-filled physical activity events organised by MEND's network of 350 healthy lifestyle programmes.

To find out more about MEND Move It Week, go to www.mendcentral.org/moveitweek

www.kidscape.org.uk has a range of resources for parents and pupils to counteract bullying.