News and Opinion
There are stories relating to obesity breaking around the world every day. The stories below are those where journalists haver sought NOF opnion/quotes or summaries of research on which NOF may have a view. Where possible the source of the stories are identified by the newspaper banner or a URL in red.
NOF Opinion will always be identified in italics.
Nursery guidelines - missed opportunity
- Details
- Published on Monday, 16 January 2012
After years of indecision the Department of Education [DoE] has finally produced nutritional guidelines for early years settings. Excellent though the 3 part document may be, particularly because it makes the point that the guidance has been produced to " ensure " that the requirements of children aged 1 - 5yrs are met, the DoE does not insist that it be followed, How strange is that? Even when its Introduction reminds the reader that nearly 25% of UK children are either overweight or obese by the time they join reception class in primary school - and that cases of rickets, iron deficiency and dental decay are becoming more commonplace - the DoE makes following its healthy advice " voluntary ". The Department states that it does not have the evidence required to make it's advice mandatory causing the National Obesity Forum to wonder what more evidence it needs with hundreds of thousands of children so unhealthily overweight pre-school.