The poll found that inactivity was rated just ahead of easy access to junk food as the main concern of 21 percent of the parents who acknowledged that their children were overweight.

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Cost of healthy food blamed
In terms of food, more than 50 percent of the parents said the cost of healthy food, along with food packaging and television commercials, were factors in terms of children's weight problems.

The survey found that children of parents who earned less than $50 000 (R330 000) a year were slightly more likely to be overweight than children from higher-income families, the AP reported. Parents with yearly incomes of less than $25 000 (R165 000) were more likely than parents with higher incomes to point to the cost of healthy food as a barrier to improving the eating habits of their children.

Rural parents were more likely than suburban parents to cite the cost of healthy food as an issue.

The survey also found that 49 percent of parents pointed to a lack of time for home-cooked meals as a problem, the AP reported. – (HealthDayNews)

Visit our Child Centre for more information.

October 2005
 

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