2005 Jul - Sep News Archive

Some hard facts about obesity

If you go into adulthood, turn 20, morbidly obese, it's estimated that a male will lose 12 to 13 years of life, or has lost 12 to 13 years of life at that point. A female, eight years of life. More...

Program Takes on Childhood Obesity

THE Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) has announced a major initiative with the federal government that will provide the data necessary to help tackle childhood obesity in Australia . More...

Facing up to a National Epidemic

One child in every four in Australia is obese: not just a little chubby, not even merely overweight, but unhealthily fat. Worse, the Australian Medical Association estimates that within 20 years about half of our children will be obese. More...

Big Mac Could Attract Max Tax

FAST food could be subject to a new "fat tax" of up to 50 per cent of the purchase price to fight Australia 's obesity epidemic. The fat tax proposal would steer consumers away from food laden with calories and sugar, forcing them to choose cheaper, healthier options. More...

A rich diet of social ills

THERE are three times as many obese children in Australia today as there were a decade ago. For all the modern obsession with body image, the Australian Medical Association predicts that within the next 20 years nearly half of all young Australians will be overweight. More...

AUSTRALIA: Child obesity -- Bracks targets junk-food ads

Victoria is spearheading a push for tougher guidelines restricting television junk-food advertising aimed at children. More...

Active Media Bulletin September 05

Physical activity news and events from around Australia. More...

McDonald's, Kellogg's Feel Ire Of Parents

A group of Australian parents has slammed fast food chain McDonald's and cereals giant Kellogg's in its verdicts on the best and worst of children's food advertising. The Parents Jury, comprising about 400 Australian parents, announced the results of a vote on television advertisements aimed at children, along with a call for new restrictions on junk-food ads aimed at children. More...

Obese Adults "Normal Weight As Kids"

Sixty per cent of obese adults aged 25-35 were of normal weight during childhood, a national survey shows. More...

Food Companies Snare Children in their Webs

Makers of soft drinks, sweets and sugary cereals are designing websites to catch the attention of children barely six or seven years old. More...

Generation XL

One in four of our children is overweight. The explosion in obesity is so rapid that it is estimated that half of all young Australians will be overweight by 2025. Peter Wilmoth examines an urgent public health crisis. More...

Parents Urge Tuckshop Health Check

A NATIONAL survey of parents has found overwhelming support for compulsory sport in schools and healthier food at canteens to help reduce childhood obesity. More...

Plan for School 'Fat Tests' to Stem Obesity

SCHOOLS would have to give parents an annual report on their children's weight and fitness and rank students against a national benchmark under a plan being considered by the Federal Government. More...

Charlie and the chocolate factor

With the opening of the world's favourite film about chocolate, Nestle hopes its Wonka brand will turn into a golden ticket. More...

Smart State Action Plan to Tackle Childhood Obesity

A State Government action plan to combat obesity in Queensland children was unveiled today by Health Minister Stephen Robertson. More...

Obesity in Children Worse than Thought

Almost half of children aged 12 and 13 are overweight or obese, according to a study that measures fatness by the girth of the waist rather than body mass. More...

Schools 'unhealthy'

A NATIONAL survey of parents has found overwhelming support for compulsory sport and healthier food at schools, to help reduce childhood obesity. More...

Parents Get Serious: Junk The Junk

Junk food such as Krispy Kreme doughnuts and chocolate should be banned from school fundraisers if the State Government is serious about tackling obesity, parents and nutritionists say. More...

Health Groups Want to Sell Heart Checks, Not Chocolate

Schools should stop selling fattening chocolate and raise money by promoting heart check-ups for parents instead, say two health groups. More...

Schools Giving Kids Confusing Messages

Some schools are doing an excellent job of ensuring children are getting good health messages at school but many turn a blind eye to the conflicts that come with fundraising using high- sugar and/or high- fat foods and sponsorships from companies selling unhealthy foods according to Obesity Action Coalition executive director Celia Murphy. More...

School's One Jump Ahead

SCHOOL canteens can continue to sell unhealthy food to children. Premier Steve Bracks yesterday ruled out tougher rules, despite childhood obesity tripling in the past 20 years. More...

Australia: Junk-food TV Ads Grate with Alexander

Food writer and restaurateur Stephanie Alexander has joined the childhood-obesity debate, saying she would support government regulation of school canteens and a ban on junk-food advertising during children's television programs. More...

How To Make Fat Kids

Everyone's talking about, and worrying about, childhood obesity – and rightly so. These children are going to grown up at a physical disadvantage and possibly die younger as a result. Tackling it isn’t easy though, and a group in the UK took 25 things which have been suggested as risk factors for childhood obesity and tested them on a group of 8000 children who’ve been followed from birth. More...

Child TV Hours Obesity Risk Link

A study by the same team published last year suggested children should watch no more than two hours of TV a day to protect their future health. More...

Breakfast Cereals

What's good and what’s not: it’s time to take cereals seriously. For many of us, ready-to-eat breakfast cereals are still a staple food, and a good one can be the perfect kick-start to the day. We looked at over 180 cereals and mueslis to find the ones that are best for you nutritionally. More...

Social Tolls Higher for Sick Kids

As the nation's obesity epidemic sparks a rise in chronically ill children, a new report shows families are left to deal with the high financial and social impact of childhood disease. More...

Industry Promotes Kids Juice Drinking Guidelines

The New Zealand Juice and Beverage Association (NZJBA) has adopted a set of guidelines to help parents make sensible choices about their children’s intake of juices. According to Executive Director Bronwen Bartley, there is some confusion among parents about the suitability of juice as a drink for young children and the NZJBA is hoping to provide a united message from all of its members. More...

Parents Crunch 'Misleading' Food Ads

A Kellogg's Coco Pops TV ad starring Play School and Disney actor Monica Trapaga has been named among the worst TV ads for children. A parents health lobby group bestowed its "Smoke and Mirrors Award" to the ad because it promoted the product "as one with high nutritional value". More...

Playing School Sport Must be Compulsory

A NATIONAL survey of parents has found overwhelming support for compulsory sport in schools and healthier food at canteens to help reduce childhood obesity. More...

Children Fattened on TV Junk Diet

TOO much time watching television and too many TV ads for junk food are being blamed for the epidemic of childhood obesity and its associated ills. More...

And for Dessert, Madam – a Salty Sponge, Perhaps?

The Food Commission takes a look at processed puddings and finds the manufacturers are keen to boost the flavour with a dose of salt – as much as they put in crisps or bacon! More...

Queensland Schools Shed Fat Food

HIGH-fat, high-calorie food will be banned in Queensland state schools on all but two days a term in Australia 's toughest crackdown on tuckshop junk food. More...