Obesity, tooth decay and teen births plague Aussie kids
ALMOST one-quarter of Australian children are overweight or obese, while tooth decay in six-year-olds is on the rise.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's 2009 snapshot of the nation's children, released on Wednesday, gives us a tick for declining asthma hospitalisation and better leukemia survival rates.
But we lag behind other Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations on infant mortality and teenage births.
Australian children still don't eat enough fruit or vegetables, despite public health campaigns.
In 2007, 17 per cent of Australian children were estimated to be overweight and 6 per cent obese, according to the institute's report.
Obesity increases a child's risk of developing asthma and Type 2 diabetes.
If children continue to be overweight into adulthood, they are at a heightened risk of heart attack and some cancers.
The national guidelines recommend children aged between five and 18 years old should have at least one hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. They also recommend children be restricted to no more than two hours of non-educational screen time daily.
While 74 per cent meet the physical activity guidelines, only one-third of children meet the screen-time guidelines.
"Far too many children spend more than the recommended time in front of a video screen," the institute says in the report.
Only 60 per cent of children aged four to eight and around half of nine to 13-year-olds eat enough fruit.
Just 2 per cent of nine to 13-year-olds eat the recommended daily serve of vegetables.
Tooth decay in children aged six and 12 declined in the early to mid-1990s but has climbed again in six-year-olds.
"In recent years, there has been a slight increase in tooth decay among children, which may be related to changes in dietary patterns, including less drinking of fluoridated mains water and increased sugar consumption, and changes in school dental programs," the institute says.
Six-year-old children living in the poorest areas have twice the rate of tooth decay as those living in the wealthiest areas.
The rate of indigenous children who are decay-free at the age of six is much lower than non-indigenous children, at 21 per cent compared with 54 per cent respectively.
Australia is about 75% fluoridated: "ALMOST one-quarter of Australian children are overweight or obese, while tooth decay in six-year-olds is on the rise" NYSCOF
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's 2009 snapshot of the nation's children, released on Wednesday, gives us a tick for declining asthma hospitalisation and better leukemia survival rates.
But we lag behind other Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations on infant mortality and teenage births.
Australian children still don't eat enough fruit or vegetables, despite public health campaigns.
In 2007, 17 per cent of Australian children were estimated to be overweight and 6 per cent obese, according to the institute's report.
Obesity increases a child's risk of developing asthma and Type 2 diabetes.
If children continue to be overweight into adulthood, they are at a heightened risk of heart attack and some cancers.
The national guidelines recommend children aged between five and 18 years old should have at least one hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. They also recommend children be restricted to no more than two hours of non-educational screen time daily.
While 74 per cent meet the physical activity guidelines, only one-third of children meet the screen-time guidelines.
"Far too many children spend more than the recommended time in front of a video screen," the institute says in the report.
Only 60 per cent of children aged four to eight and around half of nine to 13-year-olds eat enough fruit.
Just 2 per cent of nine to 13-year-olds eat the recommended daily serve of vegetables.
Tooth decay in children aged six and 12 declined in the early to mid-1990s but has climbed again in six-year-olds.
"In recent years, there has been a slight increase in tooth decay among children, which may be related to changes in dietary patterns, including less drinking of fluoridated mains water and increased sugar consumption, and changes in school dental programs," the institute says.
Six-year-old children living in the poorest areas have twice the rate of tooth decay as those living in the wealthiest areas.
The rate of indigenous children who are decay-free at the age of six is much lower than non-indigenous children, at 21 per cent compared with 54 per cent respectively.
Australia is about 75% fluoridated: "ALMOST one-quarter of Australian children are overweight or obese, while tooth decay in six-year-olds is on the rise" NYSCOF
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