Childhood Obesity (14) - Government legislation

The government should encourage the academia to conduct more research projects on junk food addiction by providing more research funding. The results of these research projects can give solid foundation to the Legislature for enacting appropriate laws against junk food by mirroring what is currently being done on tobacco products, for example, taxing junk food, labeling junk food as hazardous to one’s health, and limiting children’s access to junk food.

Childhood Obesity (9) - Tax on junk food

As we all know, smoking is hazardous to our health. People who smoke will very likely develop health problems that will put a burden on our medical resources. And that is why the government levies a heavy tax on tobacco products.

Food that is high in calories but low in nutrients is labeled as junk food, which, in fact, is hazardous to health. One can use a similar argument that junk food will very likely induce its consumers to become obese, which in turn will induce developing other health related problems such as diabetes, heart diseases, and breathing problems, among others. This will put a heavy load on our medical system. We should put a tax on junk food, just as we tax tobacco products. However, before we can put the teeth to the Legislature, the academics need to conduct more research because currently food addition research is inconclusive (IDDBA, 2004). Several states in the U.S. have introduced bills to add a tax of between 0.25% and 6% to snack foods, but most such bills have had a hard time receiving legislature passing (Tatge, 2004).

Reference
IDDBA (2004). “Obesity: A Growing Problem with Growing Solutions.” International Dairy Deli Bakery Association. http://www.iddba.org/
Tatge, M. (2004). “Get ready for the Twinkie Tax.” Forbes, February 16, 2004.

Childhood Obesity (8) - Healthy eating

Currently the curriculum-stipulated 20 minutes are for the subject of “Health and Physical Education,” which comprises of two distinct components, namely, physical activity and learning make healthy food choice. The Ministry of Education should seriously consider splitting the topics covered in this subject into two distinct subjects: One for physical education and the other for healthy eating. We should start educating our children when they are young how to make healthy food choices and nurture good eating habits. Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide, released in 2007, provides guidance on the amount of food for adults, teens and children. The Guide also includes information on the quality of food choices for healthy eating such as the type of fat, the total energy content of foods (Bush et al., 2007).

Children tend to remember things they see and hear often. If they are bombarded by the same (and correct) message, hopefully they will remember it well for the rest of their lives. Thus, the emphasis on eating healthy should be repetitive across all grades.

Reference
Bush, M. A. A., et al. (2007). Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide: “A Tool for the Times.” Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research, 68(2):92-96. 2007.