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Children unaware of junk food risks

27 November 2008

I know that eating junk food can give you spots and make you put on weight but I'm not really bothered about anything else. The future is too far off to worry about it

Ryan Bolton, 11, from Walsall

Key facts
  • Junk food can be described as foods which are high in salt, high in saturated fat and/or high in sugar.
  • According to the Food Standards Agency one in 10 teenagers eats junk food at least once a day.
  • 83 percent of children don't eat five portions of fruit and vegetables each day.
  • Factors which are linked to heart disease include being overweight or obese, having high cholesterol, having high blood pressure, having diabetes, a family history of heart disease, smoking and a lack of exercise.
  • It's harder to determine if a child is overweight compared to an adult. The charity Weight Concern has a children's BMI calculator that can act as a guide.
  • The BHF Yoobot can be found at www.yoobot.co.uk

Most children aged between eight and 15 don't know that eating too much junk food is bad for their health, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) has warned.

An online study of 1,100 UK children in October highlighted that seven in 10 children didn't realise that eating too much junk food can shorten their life. About half of the children thought the worst effects were weight gain, tooth decay, spots or being unpopular with friends.

Ellen Mason, Senior Cardiac Nurse at the BHF, told the Bupa health information team: "Obesity in children is increasing and we are at crisis point. By 2050 a quarter of young people will be obese and the majority of the rest will be overweight. There is a need to establish a pattern in childhood which will lead into adulthood and change how children think about food."

Last year, the Department of Health highlighted that three in 10 children aged between 10 or 11 are overweight or obese. The current generation of children may be the first to have shorter life spans than their parents.

"Obesity in childhood can lead to obesity in adults. There are some small scientific studies that show that fatty streaks can be found in arteries in teenagers which can cause heart disease," Ellen said.

"Obesity is a risk factor for heart disease and also certain cancers, stroke and type II diabetes. Type II diabetes can also increase the risk of heart disease," she added. "You can though be a normal weight and be unhealthy by having high levels of salt in your diet which can factor in high blood pressure and heart disease."

The BHF have developed a new interactive tool called the Yoobot to help educate youngsters. "The benefits of health are emphasised but are simplified and slightly speeded up - one Yoobot equals three normal years," Ellen said.

Yoobot is designed to reinforce healthy eating practices in young people. Schools that are participating will receive information packs, and there is also a webpage to help parents understand healthy eating and what the Yoobot programme is.

Mike Knapton, BHF Director of Prevention and Care, said: "Today's junk food generation can't see beyond the burger box. They are missing the fact that eating unhealthily can have dire consequences on their long-term health.

"The clock is ticking on the obesity time bomb and it is now more important than ever for children to be educated enough to take control of their diets."

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