Unhealthy foods don’t give kids a sporting chance

Research shows unhealthy foods don’t give kids a sporting chance

NZ Population Health Congress media release, 7 October 2014

Research shows kids’ sporting environments are dominated by unhealthy foods and beverages; and that parents often feel powerless to combat the marketing of junk food to their children, the NZ Population Health Conference in Auckland heard today.

Dr Moira Smith, from the Health Promotion and Policy Research Unit at the University of Otago, Wellington, said the research involved giving cameras to children in Wellington sports clubs, and their parents, and asking them to photograph food and beverage related items they associated with their sport. Focus groups were then held to determine broad themes and concepts.

“What we’ve found is that children are continually confronted with high calorie but nutritionally poor food whenever they engage with sport. They get McDonalds vouchers when they play well; they have All Blacks encouraging them to “get active with Powerade” when it is a high sugar sports drink not recommended for children playing Saturday sport, and they see high profile sports like rugby, football and cricket being sponsored by KFC, McDonalds and Milo.

“When kids play sport themselves or attend events at stadiums, the food options are almost always chips, hot dogs, hamburgers and fizzy drinks.”

Dr Smith said parents told her that countering this environment is a real battle and that they often feel overwhelmed, unsupported and underpowered in their efforts to provide a healthy food environment for their children.

“Parents get their kids involved in sport because they want them to be active and healthy, and these messages run completely counter to that. The parents say it promotes unhealthy eating habits early on and ask why sporting heroes don’t encourage their kids to eat more fruits and vegetables.”

The research also showed that both young people and parents recognise that children are deliberately targeted by food companies for commercial gain. Dr Smith says this is a violation of children’s rights under UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which New Zealand is a signatory.

“The Convention says children have a right to the highest attainable standard of health, that they should be protected from any form of exploitation and that parents should be supported in providing good nutrition to them.

“New Zealand children are now the third most overweight and obese in the OECD and are presenting with type 2 diabetes, which is typically diagnosed in adulthood. Tooth decay is the leading reason for our children being admitted to hospital from a waiting list. This situation clearly shows that our children’s right to health is not being realised and our current sport-related food environment does not support that right.”

“The Convention requires governments to act and support parents to protect children’s rights, including the right to live in a healthy food environment”. Dr Smith said a comprehensive policy approach is needed to improve the sport-related food environment and that strategies should include: replacing food industry sponsorship with health promotion advertising; establishing food policies at sports settings; and implementing healthy food initiatives at sports clubs.

“These approaches must be supported by broader population health strategies to counter junk food marketing to children. But parents, coaches and health professionals also have a role to play here and need to be supported by local and central governments.”

ENDS

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