The serious problem of childhood obesity was hitting the headlines again this week. It stemmed from a pronouncement by Dr. David Ludwig, an obesity expert at Children’s Hospital Boston which was supported by Lindsey Murtagh, a lawyer and researcher at Harvard’s School of Public Health. In today’s blog we’d like to inform you of these developments and show you, through the use of outdoor activity toys and other fun activity toys, how the problem of childhood obesity can be combated effectively.
In an editorial for the Journal of the American Medical Association, Ludwig and Murtagh stated that “State intervention may serve the best interests of many children with life-threatening obesity, comprising the only realistic way to control harmful behaviors.” In other words, should a family’s children grow to a significant level of obesity, child services should intervene and have them removed from their homes.
They continued: “In severe instances of childhood obesity, removal from the home may be justifiable from a legal standpoint because of imminent health risks and the parents’ chronic failure to address medical problems.”
It’s sad that we live in a society where such extreme measures are deemed appropriate and are advocated by leading experts in the field. The problem of childhood obesity is one that we need to get under control, but it pains us to think that state intervention is being seriously considered as a potential solution. Just as we stated in our post on video game violence, we do not think that families should be told how to live their lives by the state – on the whole it should be up to the parents how they wish to bring up their kids.
However, if parents are willing to allow their kids to get into such a state of obesity that their lives are quite literally under threat, should those parents be allowed to keep their children, knowing that they are slowly killing them by allowing them to continue living a grossly unhealthy lifestyle? Probably not, to be honest.
It should be noted that Ludwig and Murtagh aren’t talking about any regular obese child, but rather children with a severe issue. They are talking about those children that have a body mass index at or above the 99th percentile, a point where their health is at severe risk. But the unfortunate fact is that there are around two million children in the United States that fit within that group, and we can’t very well take them all from their homes can we?
Though we can’t hope to to solve this complex problem of childhood obesity, we would like to provide parents with some suggestions as to how they can get their kids active, and thus push them towards a healthier lifestyle.
Here at Elite Toy Store we have an entire range of educational and fun activity toys. These fun activity toys come in the form of indoor and outdoor kits and we have options suited to all budgets. Fun activity toys are proven to provide an impetus for your child to get exercising and having fun without be forced to do so.
If the problem of childhood obesity is a concern for you, then consider purchasing some outdoor activity toys. One of the most fun, time-tested ways to get kids (and big kids too!) exercising is on a trampoline. Bouncing around on a trampoline is a great way to get all of those important parts moving and on top of that it’s just so much fun to do. And when it come to outdoor activity toys, Elite Toy Store has lots to chose from, such as our Jumpking Bazoongi trampolines which are recognized as some of the safest and most innovative trampolines on the market in terms of design, so you can be sure that you are getting a tried and trusted product.
We all remember the joys of the playground and the jungle gym when we were kids and, even with the powerful influence of video games and the internet, kids today still can’t resist the allure of a good, well-equipped playground. Slides, swings, tunnels, see-saws – all these things make for exciting and fun outdoor activity toys that are sure to get your kids out and about and enjoying themselves. Check out Elite Toy Store’s full selection of outdoor activity toys today and cut out the problem of childhood obesity in your family before it starts!
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