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Next stage of world-leading childhood obesity plan announced

Publich Health England (PHE) are now considering the evidence on children’s calorie consumption and are setting the ambition for the calorie reduction programme to remove excess calories from the foods children consume the most. These foods include pizzas, burgers, ready meals and savoury snacks and sandwiches.

Over the past year or so, there has been progress around reducing the level of sugar in many products.

The Soft Drinks Industry Levy has become law, coming into effect in April 2018 and PHE has formulated a comprehensive sugar reduction programme with the aim of a 20% reduction in sugar in key foods by 2020. Leading retailers and manufacturers have also announced they are, or already have, lowered the amount of sugar in their products as a result of these programmes.

Adults currently consume on average between 200 to 300 calories too many each day and children are following suit which is concerning. Reducing calorie consumption from sources other than sugar is critical to reversing the worrying obesity trend.

  • 1 in 3 children are either overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school
  • more children in the UK than previously are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, some as young as 7
  • children from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to be obes

Philip Dunne, Minister of State for Health said:

“Too many of our children are growing up obese, which can lead to serious health complications. We all have a responsibility to help people live healthier lives, but with a third of children leaving primary school obese we must take a comprehensive approach and now focus on excess calories.

This can only be done through strong guidance, grounded in evidence – that’s why we have funded a new £5 million dedicated Obesity Research Policy Unit to understand the deeper causes of obesity.”

Duncan Selbie, chief executive of PHE, said:

“A third of children leave primary school overweight or obese and an excess of calories – not just excess sugar consumption – is the root cause of this.

We will work with the food companies and retailers to tackle this as the next critical step in combating our childhood obesity problem.”

Evidence will be published by PHE early in 2018. It will then consult with the food industry, trade bodies and health non-governmental organisations to develop guidance and timelines for the calorie reduction programme.

The Department of Health has also funded the £5 million National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Obesity Research Policy Unit at University College London (UCL), which will look to develop a deeper understanding on the causes of childhood obesity, including marketing to children and families, social inequalities, and the early years of childhood.

Professor Russell Viner, Policy Research Unit Director and Professor of Adolescent Health, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, said:

Obesity is one of the greatest health concerns of our time and we welcome this considerable and very timely investment from the government. We are delighted that the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health will host the new Obesity Policy Research Unit (OPRU). Preventing obesity in early life is key to turning the tide on this modern epidemic.”

 

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Childhood Eczema on the Rise

Pediatricians estimate that today nearly one in ten babies has eczema – a definite increase from years past.

Some doctors attribute the rise to allergies – created in part because we’re keeping our homes – and our babies – cleaner. Kids don’t get a chance to build any resistance in their immune systems. That makes sense when I think about children I’ve known who lived in what most people would term a “sty,” but who never got sick.

My suspicion is that children are also exposed to many more environmental toxins today – As an example: Once upon a time a baby crawled on a wood or linoleum floor – where dust, dirt, and pet hair were the biggest hazards. Now they’re crawling on carpet made with chemicals and cleaned with still more chemicals.

Their food is different, too. Baby food used to be pure food. Now babies get formula and prepared food that contains preservatives. A recent study of “FDA Organic” foods revealed that one additive in organic baby food is processed with a toxic substance banned in other food production.

And what about those plastic baby bottles? We’ve all been cautioned about drinking water from bottles that have been in the car and gotten warm, because heat makes toxins in the plastic leach out into the water.

Just a few days ago I read that manufacturers are NOW working on changing the plastic in baby bottles to get away from that problem. Meanwhile, how many baby bottles have been warmed and the contents feed to infants?

Eczema is treated with use of hypoallergenic soaps, antihistamines, daily moisturizing, oatmeal baths, and occasional use of steroid creams and/or antibiotics. But these are just treatments to reduce the redness and itching. There is no “cure” for childhood eczema.

The good news, according to physicians, is that most children outgrow it by the time they reach their teens. That’s a long time to endure itching.

Marte Cliff is a freelance copywriter who writes for natural health companies. She also publishes a natural health website and blog at http://www.pharmfreehealth.com.

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Eczema in Kids – How to Deal With Childhood Eczema

When a baby or young child develops eczema, it is usually assumed that he or she will grow out of it. Most parents will be told that it is normal for the eczema to get better as the child grows older.This is generally true for eczema in kids, but it is still hard to predict for an individual child when, or even if, he or she will be free of eczema.

Nonetheless, it is still a reassuring and encouraging fact that so many children do grow out of eczema and there is a good chance that even if the eczema remains, it will be much less severe than when the child was very young. Nonetheless, there are special regimes that can help to cure eczema so don’t stop researching on methods that work.

The vast majority of children who have eczema are treated by their GP alone and do not get referred to a dermatologist. It is usually the children with chronic, severe eczema,whose skin has not responded well to the most common forms of treatment who do get referred on to a specialist.

If your child’s eczema does not seem to be improving or if your child’s eczema often flares up and you do not feel you have good control over the symptoms, then it is worth asking your GP to refer him or her to a dermatologist, if this has not already been done, in order to consider whether further treatments would be appropriate.

If you have reached the point of realizing that your child is going to have to manage to live with eczema, then it is important to develop a positive approach to deal with eczema in kids. There is enormous variation in the way that children respond to the additional demands placed on themas a result of having a chronic physical illness, and the way a child adapts is closely related to the sort of support their family has been able to provide.

It is extremely likely that the physical severity of your child’s eczema will vary over time. In addition, there will be times when the eczema causes particular difficulties and at these times your child may feel cross or frustrated by the demands placed on them because of the eczema. Many children with chronic eczema (and other physical illnesses) do have to put up with more than their healthy peers.

They do experience some physical discomfort, and have to tolerate repetitive treatment regimes, and they may be subjected to teasing and some difficulties with peers. However, some of these children do show remarkable resilience and strengths, and often appear to be more considerate and caring than their healthy peers.

Children who experience chronic physical illnesses often do become more tolerant with other people because of their own experience, and this is a very positive quality. It is easy to forget all the positives and all the things your child does well, and to focus only on the negatives. It is important to keep a sense of perspective and to make sure that you still recognise all the normal things your child can do, rather than just focusing on the things they find hard.

This will help them to think positively about their abilities too and not to let the eczema take over their life. This does not mean denying the undoubted restrictions that they also have, but it does mean keeping these difficulties in perspective.

After learning about how to handle eczema in kids, you might want to check out this guide book on curing eczema naturally, without any pills or steroids. If you’re still looking for a solution that really works, this will definitely help a great deal. Click here to get started: http://healthvim.com/cure-eczema/

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