How can governments fight childhood obesity?

These measures are a great start to tackling these problems. It would be beneficial to make healthy food choices more affordable. Lean cuts of meat, fresh vegetables, whole grain breads are amongst the most expensive items on the grocery list. It may also be an option to make fast food outlets carry a certain proportion of healthy choices as a part of their menus.
Anonymous

It is good to see that some effort is being made to tackle obesity. However, it would be of great benefit if more funding for sports at school was provided by the government. My partner's daughters school has no after school sport programs and P.E. is only once a week! Sporting clubs cost alot to join! It is also very important that obesity is tackled the same way smoking is with warnings and graphic advertising campaigns.
Renee - SA

I believe that the obesity epidemic starts in the home and that we should stop blaming external factors such as Schools, Fast Food Chains and advertising. Yes they make the children want to eat a certain way, however the parent has the right to say yes or no. My children are aware that that sort of food is sometimes food and that it is a treat maybe once a month or two. They are also aware that they need to exercise in some form to keep healthy. We lead by example as our children mimic us. We need to take a serious look at the parents and give them lessons on correct eating habits and try and reform them. I get very angry when I see overweight/obese parents who have overweight children and allow them to drink soft drinks constantly and eat snack food all the time. Basically this means don’t blame the government and business, BLAME the parents.
Michelle - NSW

It's all very well to have these supposed Healthy Eating initiatives innschools, but oh, how wrong they have it! At my children's school tuckshop, strawberry and chocolate flavoured milk, flavoured vegie chips, low fat hot dogs, all fir the
Anne - QLD

I agree with Michelle-NSW. Everyone needs to stop blaming the government, they are not the ones rasing our children, WE ARE!!! We decide and control what they eat and if we as parents do the right thing and teach our children good eating habits then we should be able to fix the obesity epidemic. I am a mother to 6 children under the age of 8yrs and it can be hard to get them to eat healthy food at times, but if you persevere they will eventually eat it and actually enjoy it. Sure my kids are like any kid and they love junk food but i have taught my children that everything should be in moderation. I have taught them to not deprive them of any food but just to be aware of how much they eat of particular foods. My ways seem to work as not one of my children are obese or even overweight, they are healthy happy kids and it all starts with mum and dad, not the government.
Dee - QLD

I think there's definitely a role for government in this, and that is to help make sure that we really do have genuine choice in the foods that we pick for our kids. At the moment, the vast majority of processed food is bad for us, so the unhealthy road is by far the easiest to take. If the government can help pressure industry into making food healthier, and making nutritional information clearer, then it won't just be super-parents, like Dee, who can achieve this - we'll all have a clearer shot at it!
Melanie - NSW

Governments definitely have a role in food available in schools. The current situation proves businesses can not be trusted beyond the aim of profiteering, thus regulation is the only way to ensure their junkfoods (high sugar, salt, fat and low fibre) are kept out of schools. We need scool to pe a part of the training process kids go through and it must be in conjunction with parents efforts at home. To argue choise is a nonsense with imature minds, after all we do not let ten year olds drive cars. Unfortunately the great god of profit has motivated many companies to involve themselves in schools and with kids for the wrong reason .... profit maximisation. It is probably time we took a very close look at companies involving themselves with our kids at school and vetted them according to their motives. Their money must never be allowed to be the means of allowing health damaging programmes and food in our schools. Good parenting means a great of scepticism in dealing with business.
Al - QLD

I strong believe the government should be funding all primary schools, public or private to provide PE teachers. If we don't get children into sport at an earlier age they will be unlikely to pick up a sport in secondary school because they will not have the necessary skills to compete with their appropriate age group. We need to encourage the love of sport at an early age so children will be able to carry this throughout their lives. Some parents are not sport orientated thus these children could slip through without being encouraged to participate in sport. Get children active, dedicate more hours at school to sport especially primary children love it and a happy child is what we all want. I am not saying this is the only answer but speaking from personal experience all my children's friends 14yrs all have great figures/healthy and play sport. They are motivated and involved in life.
Fiona Tremaine - SA

Governments should have a strong role in health policy, and as manufacturers and large retailers first priority is their shareholders, it is unrealistic to expect they will act without compulsion via regulation and incentives from government and consumer buying patterns. Sure parents need to be responsible, but even the most health conscious parents can find it daunting to keep kids eating well. Some children are very fussy eaters, parents can get really overtired and stressed, and against their better judgement, do whatever it takes to get the child to eat something. If marketing, advertising and peer pressure are working against your efforts, as a tired parent, you may not have the will power. This is a significant health issue, and we should use all channels to get our society to make healthy, REAL food normal again for kids. I'ts obvious that cheap ingredients, easy mass production and longer shelf life combine to make junk 'food' more profitable. But sorry guys, party's over.
Helen - QLD

To add to my earlier comment, I feel strongly that really innovative urban planning policies at all levels of government could help us to make it easier for kids to outside in neighbourhoods and walking to school and the park safely. We need to recreate human habitat that is safe for kids and others so we can say the immortal words 'run along and play outside'!
Helen - QLD

Fund proper cooking classes at school would be a good start, so that kids could actually learn how to cook cheap, tasty and healthy food. This could even start in primary school, with kids learning how to make simple things like sandwiches wtih lots of salad on them. Kids and their parents should also be taught how to read food labels properly and to understand what is a reasonable amount of sugar and salt in a product. And simply putting more thought into the design of our suburbs by having safe areas to play in for kids, bike paths that kids can use to get to school or the local shops or their friends house.
Anonymous

It sounds like everyone would like to have the government control everything. I think the government has enough on its plate (pardon the pun) without having to think about school children's healthy eating habits. They learn it at school then go home to an unhealthy environment at home. Why not just invest more money into the public schools so that they can afford more teachers and equipment which would help with this. A child will eat whatever they want whenever but if they have the correct guidance from the home then there shouldn't be a problem. I have watched a young boy everyday for the last 6yrs walk around the corner to the takeaway and eat BAD food he has grown into a tall lanky lad who is in need of a hair cut and every time I see him I wonder where are his parents as they don't appear to be around to watch what he eats - it makes me sad. Proper cooking classes and nutrition are offered to ALL students in high school and it's a vast improvement on what it was 20 yrs ago.
Michelle - NSW

We run an indoor recreational centre where we offer school holiday programs of 4 hours with lunch for $10. We usually lose money on this but at least the kids are active! The government offers no support because we are 'private enterprise' but supports 'not for profits' that do very little. Can't win.
Anonymous

The Labor party's plan to have health checks for kids - measuring BMI and height etc. may be tricky for kids. I imagine that children could be labelled as obese and teased as often happens at school. Not helpful for kids. Perhaps just reinforce the exercise and healthy food choices.
Tam - VIC

If people stop looking for "someone to blame" and just stop buying the crap, the kids cant eat it if they havnt got it there in the fridge or the pantry. Parents need to be 100% responsible for the state of their children's health and attitudes towards food and exercise. We are the greatest example to our kids so why expect them to eat healthily when most adults dont. Its not do as I say, its do as I do.One only has to watch Jamie's School Dinners series on telly to see why kids hate good food. The parents cant be bothered trying to find things that are healthy and enjoyable for the kids tastes. Its easier to hand MacDonalds over the fence than to get up 20mins earlier and put together something nice.And get outside and do things with them. Burn those calories off! Calories out must exceed calories in to burn excess fat! As a Personal Trainer I know what works and what a difference good food makes to the brain & body. Added to exercise, its a guarantee of a healthy future.
TJ - QLD