Childhood Obesity Study

An Australian study into childhood obesity by the University of Sydney found that the number of children exercising is 20% higher than in 1997.

Strike one down for the good guys in the war against childhood obesity.

Unfortunately this childhood obesity study also found that the rate of obese children in Australia has increased in children aged between 4 and 16.

What's the problem.

One of the authors of this childhood obesity study - Dr Michael Booth - said our kids are "simply eating too many calories primarily through junk foods."

Dr Booth went on to recommend some kind of restriction on marketing junk foods to kids.

Dr Booth is a captain in the fight against childhood obesity.

I say make the junk food advertisers tell the truth.

How many more dire predictions do we need from one childhood obesity study after another before we take action.

Let's make those junk food manufacturers label their products with warnings like "trans fatty acids in this food have been linked to obesity, cancer, depression and a wide variety of disease."

Or "this nutritionally barren food is laden with sugar which stimulates the production of insulin in your body leading to a cascade of destructive hormones linked to disease."

But we can't completely blame the junk food companies.

As parents a lot of the time we're the ones buying this junk food for our kids.

A great diet and lifestyle starts at home.

And you can get started with a few insider secrets to raising a healthy child by listening in to the free audio at http://www.raisingahealthychild.com

The greatest childhood obesity study in history is taking place right now and ALL our children are the subjects.

The question is, as a parent are you going to let this be one of those awful studies where all the kids end up with horrible disease...

Or are you going to fight the good fight and help your child become slim, healthy and happy.

Andrew Cavanagh

FREE audio at raising a healthy child.com

Childhood obesity reduction act

I read the news today...

Is this the real beginning of a "childhood obesity reduction act".

State representative William Baird of Jacksboro sponsored legislation in the state of Tennessee that would require children from kindergarten through to eighth grade to get 150 minutes of exercise every week.

William Baird appears to be on our side in the war against childhood obesity.

What we need is a flood of William Bairds introducing legislation across the western world.

That would help in our war on childhood obesity.

We woudn't need guns.


After the initial excitement over this childhood obesity reduction act wore off I began to think.

And it occurred to me that our kids don't just need help at school.

It's at home where most of our children's diet and exercise habits are formed.

We can lobby and legislate till we're blue in the face but many kids turn up for their first day of school - ever - and they're already obese.

So as a parent, a grandparent, an auntie, an uncle...

As a neighbour, a coach, a friend I say we all need to take up arms.

We all need to take the hand of the nearest child and take her for a walk.

We need to sit at the table of the child closest to hand and fill that table with fruit and vegetables and nuts and lettuce and green and high quality low fat protein.

A childhood obesity reduction act can only work if we carry it in our hearts and into our homes.

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh

Raising a healthy child.com

Childhood obesity advertising

Is television advertising leading to childhood obesity?

If you knew that something your child did every day would cause him to seriously risk his future health would you just stand idly by?

Would you let a convicted rapist or a pedophile babysit your kids?

God I hope not.

Well when you let your child watch that television and that advertising for food products comes on the screen did you know that could be fast track to childhood obesity?

Let me explain...



A study published study published in the April issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine suggested that children may eat an extra 167 calories of food for every hour of television they watch.

That's bad enough but it gets worse.

That extra food they eat is usually food advertised on the television programs they watch.

Do you think that advertising encourages your child to eat broccoli or lettuce or wholesome fruit and vegetables or anything that might help in our war against childhood obesity?

Not the advertising I've seen - it's usually coke and Mars bars.

Listen up.

If you wouldn't let a convicted rapist or a pedophile babysit because they might do genuine harm to your children then why would you let television do the babysitting for you?

This study is a very clear warning: television advertising and childhood obesity go together.



Am I saying your child can never watch television to be safe from this insidious advertising?

No, in our war against childhood obesity we don't have to be THAT gung ho.

But imagine this.

Imagine if your child was so pre-occupied with active games and reading and playing that he never really had much of an interest in television.

How do you get to that kind of childhood obesity, television advertising free utopia?

Take an interest in games, activities, reading and more with your child.

It's fun and fulfilling for you.

You'll be taking the steps you need to take in raising a healthy child...

And it's a great step in our skirmish against television advertising and childhood obesity.

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh
Raising A Healthy Child.com

Childhood obesity television

Is childhood obesity linked to watching television?

You know it is but now you have some kind of scientific evidence.

A study published in the April 2006 issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine showed that children may eat an extra 167 calories for every hour of television they watched.

167 calories for EVERY HOUR of Television!!

That amounts to a whole pile of body fat over a year.

In our war against childhood obesity television has become a number one enemy.

That television is there lurking in wait for you and your children in your living room, even in your bedrooms.

You visit your friends homes and there it is again - our enemy the television just itching to leap out and inflict the scourge of childhood obesity on our community - one innocent child at a time.

What's the solution?

Turn off that damn TV set and engage in some good old fashioned fun with your kids.

That will help enormously in raising a healthy child.

Smash the television watching and the childhood obesity in our community by enjoying some physical exercise instead of sitting in front of that killer of humanity.

In my next post I'll explain how television could be an even worse enemy in our battle against childhood obesity for a reason you probably never even suspected.

Until then remember that we're in a war against childhood obesity and enemy number one is that television.

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh

Childhood Obesity Parent

Childhood Obesity and Parents

What role do parents play in childhood obesity?

If you're interested in raising a healthy child
then you should know that your child being overweight could have quite a lot to do with your weight.

Two recent studies showed that parents who were overweight were far more likely to be raising children who were overweight.

If you're a parent it may not be your fault you're overweight.

The media is reporting misinformation daily that confuses and confounds even some of the experts.

It's hard to know what to do.

What you DO know is that your waistline is getting larger and larger and it's getting harder and harder to raise a healthy child

What's the solution?

As a parent you can't childhood obesity sitting down.

One of the quickest ways as a parent to fight the battle of the bulge for yourself and your kids and put childhood obesity on the run is to start excercising with your children.

Now I know most people when they think of excercise they think of weights, gyms, aerobics and personal trainers.

But in your parental war against childhood obesity I'll share the number one secret to getting that weight off.

Make your exercise fun.

How about a walk in the park, dancing, a sport you both love, playing in the back yard, playing catch or tag.

You can invent your own games.

Just get active as a parent with your child and start giving childhood obesity the beating it deserves.

Remember childhood obesity is a war and as a parent you're one of the frontline troops.

Andrew Cavanagh
Raising A Healthy Child.com

Declare WAR On Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions.

Since the 1970's the prevalance of childhood obesity has more than doubled...

The rate of childhood obesity in the western world has more than TRIPLED for children 6-11 years old. *

The long term effects of this alarming rise in childhood obesity could be catastrophic.

Imagine a doubling of the rate of heart disease and adult onset diabetes and you begin to get an inkling of the sheer volume of patients our already highly stressed health systems will have to cope with.

Subsidised health systems will simply be unable to cope with this load in another 30 or 40 years as these children today become adults in the future.

Not to mention the emotional costs of a whole generation of children suffering from childhood obesity now spending most of their lives sick or unhealthy in one way or another.

I say ENOUGH!

Enough junk food.

Enough TV and computer games.

Enough of idle time eating, eating and eating some more.

Our children need parents and teachers who love them enough to say "Jimmy I'm changing my life."

"I'm going to start exercising and eating healthy."

"And I want you to join me because I love you, I want to share more time with you and I want to see you be all you can be as a happy, healthy child."

Childhood obesity is a war and love is the weapon you need to win it for your kids.

Click on the link below for your FREE audio and video tips on...
Raising a healthy child

Together we can win this war on childhood obesity.


* Figures taken from this childhood obesity study...
Ogden CL, Flegal KM, Carroll MD, Johnson CL.
Prevalance and trends in overweight amongst US children and adolescents
1999-2000. JAMA. 2002;288(14):1728-1732