It is no secret that Australia has an obesity problem, having pipped the US to become the world’s fattest nation in 2008.
But many people would be shocked to discover that severely obese children are being admitted to hospital at an alarming rate.
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Victoria’s Royal Children’s Hospital — which houses Australia’s biggest obesity clinic — treats approximately 1000 patients every year.
Childhood obesity expert and head of the clinic Dr Matt Sabin says this number includes toddlers and 10-year-olds at risk of heart disease, while other hospitals have seen teenagers as young as 15 going in for gastric band surgery.
Dr Sabin says he has observed three-year-olds twice their healthy weight, and 15-year-olds as heavy as 200kg.
“We’re not talking about a little bit of extra weight, we’re talking about severely obese children,” he told the Herald Sun newspaper.
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Obese children are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes which could lead to kidney failure, heart disease, and blindness, as well as impacting the child’s emotional wellbeing and leading to mental health issues.
Your say: Why do you think so many children are obese these days?
Video: One in four teenagers is overweight
