Lazy parents blamed for rise in obesity
Lazy parents are helping fuel a rise in obesity among children because they are unwilling to join them for workouts, a survey suggests.
Although more than 80 per cent of the 1,146 primary pupils polled by the Hong Kong Young Women's Christian Association said they exercised outside school, nearly a quarter said they lacked the energy to do so alone.
Only a quarter said their families spent time doing sports with them.
About 40 per cent of parents preferred watching television or studying with their children on most nights during the week, with sports ranking just sixth in a list of activities.
At weekends, nearly two-thirds of parents went shopping with their children, mistakenly believing this was a form of exercise.
According to the children, nearly one-third of parents said exercise too took much energy and they preferred to rest during their leisure time.
A senior medical and health officer at the Department of Health, Tsang Sam-fung, said a little sacrifice from parents would mean a lot for the future of the children.
'Parents are role models for their children in the development of their hobbies. Children with parents who like working out are more likely to do that when they grow up,' he said.
Dr Tsang said sports and exercise were essential in preventing chronic illness and heart disease, with government statistics showing the obesity rate among children had risen from one in six in 1997 to one in five by 2004.
For those who do work out, Dr Tsang said continuous exercise for 10 minutes or more was necessary in order to achieve results.
'One should have at least 31/2 hours of exercise per week, or on average 30 minutes a day,' he said. 'But every one exercise should last at least 10 minutes.'
The survey found 43.9 per cent of school children exercised for more than 30 minutes a day, with this dropping to 37.8 per cent at the weekend.
The most popular activities for the youngsters were playing computer games, watching TV and surfing the internet.
