Durban - South African children are unhealthier now than they have ever been.
Too much fast food, television and not enough outdoor play were factors that contributed to a drop in grade from C-minus in 2007 and 2010 to D, according to research published in the Discovery Vitality Healthy Active Kids Report Card on Thursday.
A score of C indicates “We are succeeding with about half of children and youth (40-59 percent)”, while D means “We are succeeding with less than half of children and youth (20-39 percent)”.
And unless something is done to reverse the damage, it’s predicted that children born from 2000 onwards might, for the first time in many generations, have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.
The initiative is carried out every three years and measures the state of children’s health by using peer reviewed research findings from the past five years and comparing different parts of the country.
The scientific panel comprises academics and experts from six universities, the Medical Research Council of South Africa, the Sports Science Institute of South Africa, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of South Africa and Discovery Vitality.
“Children are increasingly affected by chronic diseases of lifestyle; therefore there is an urgent need to prevent physical inactivity and obesity in young people too,” said Dr Craig Nossel of Discovery.
The report indicates that obesity rates have gone up, with 27 percent of girls and 9 percent of boys aged 15 to 17 being overweight or obese.
Other findings include that less than 50 percent of children are active enough, while more than 50 percent do not have access to play or recreation equipment.
The average time spent in front of television is three hours on weekdays and more on weekends.
The recommended daily limit of sugar for children is 15g a day, yet urban South African children are consuming nearly 120g a day.
Research shows that more than two thirds of adolescents eat fast food at least three times a week and South Africans drink three times the global average of certain soft drinks.
Poverty and rising food prices remain a barrier to healthy eating.
Even in families where resources are limited, children buy food at tuck shops and few tuck shops offer healthy choices.
“Buying and sharing fast food together is a way of socialising for teenagers,” says researcher Dr Alison Feeley. “Vegetables need to be made ‘cool’.
“Fast foods are perceived to be desirable, when you begin earning money it’s probably one of the most accessible things you can buy that is a reflection of your increased earning capacity and is visible to others,” said Feeley.
The scientific panel has given recommendations which include making sure physical education is a part of the school curriculum, making sure school tuck shops are provided with national guidelines and that the government takes action against the marketing of unhealthy foods and sugar-sweetened beverages to children.
The report was not all bad news. This year fewer children are going to bed hungry and more are physically active at school compared with other years. Also, the number of vegetable gardens in schools has increased from 6 503 to 8 894 and the reach of the National School Nutrition Programme has increased from 7-9 million.
The Mercury