Geraldine Onyenweaku
I was at my son’s school, some years ago, to pick him up from school. As I proceeded to climb the two flights of stairs leading up to his class room; I was in a hurry, because I was, by my timing, late in picking him up. So, I raced up the stairs and hurried to his class. At the very base of the first flight, just where one starts ascending the stairs, I saw a boy of about six or seven – couldn’t be more – a big burly faced, rotund shaped boy trying to climb the stairs. You could tell that he was obviously making an effort to ascend the stair case but owing to his body weight, he was hardly making much progress. I could see him holding on to the banister rail by the stairs as he tried to slowly lift one leg after another, while panting noisily. It was such a sight. But because I was in a haste to go pick up my son, I quickly ran past him and dashed straight to the my son’s class. I may have spent some time exchanging pleasantries with his class teacher and some of his class mates; children who were still patiently waiting for their parents to come for them. The kids are always in the habit of talking with me each time I entered the class to pick my son. Some would secretly let me in on what transpired in the class on that day. I would play a little with them, touch them fondly and tell them to try and be good boys and girls. I always looked forward to that time with the kids. They were just a delight to be with. And sometimes, when I have a lot of time to spare, I spend more time with them before leaving. Some of their parents are my friends by sheer having our kids in the same school and class. It was a place I formed my most valuable social group.
So, I bade bye to all and held my child by the hand as we walked down the same hallway and proceeded to descend the stair case. On getting to the staircase, I was amazed to find that the same boy I had met at the staircase, was still wobbling and making very strenuous effort to climb the staircase. He was still at the first flight, maybe only just managed to take about three steps. I noticed to my dismay that he took so long and made such little progress, because he would climb a step and wait for a longer time to catch his breath, before proceeding to take another step. He was sweating profusely and was obviously in pain. I was so sad. Pity and sadness welled up on the inside of me.
I got home that day and was thinking about the ordeal that little boy had to go through everyday to school. His parents may or may not know anything about his pains and struggles. He was on his own, and even though he may not have been directly responsible for his plight – obesity- he is made to suffer it and possibly die of it, if no help comes immediately.
In church that weekend, as if the priest and I were thinking on the same wave length or have both had similar experience; his sermon that day was on “child obesity.” He talked about how parents these days spend so much time out of the house earning money, such that they have very little or no time to cook proper meals for their families. He pleaded with parents, especially mothers, to spare a thought for their hapless children and cook healthy meals for them, instead of the junk they fed them with. According to him, there are many adverse health implications to that. For instance, he said,
“Children who are overweight are at a greater risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and asthma. They also have an increased risk of impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, and breathing problems such as sleep apnea. These children are more likely to be bullied by other kids and could suffer from low self-esteem and depression. And obese kids are more likely to grow up to be obese adults, with the accompanying health issues.”
Sometimes, many households, with both parents working the 9-5 jobs, scratch along ill-fed. Other times, for the seemingly wealthier families, they survive increasingly on processed food. Because most mothers these days cannot cook; or have dumped cooking as unfashionable in this era, the contrast between home cooked meals and the takeaway diets purchased from fast food joints which dot every nook and cranny is startling. With more and more parents going for the ready made meals- especially meaty ones- and salty snacks washed down with fizzy drinks, as against the more nourishing green vegetables filled of the domestic diets, it is not surprising at the results we are getting- more obese children who have been over time stuffed with all the wrong kinds of food, and whose health conditions can only get worse as they grow older. Some will have to put a lot of pressure on the health insurance system, if they are lucky to live long enough. A good number may die before attaining the age of 30 from cardiac related diseases.
Unfortunately, this is not true of only the rich but cuts across all economic class; the rich, middle and the poor alike. Working class diets have deteriorated faster than can be imagined. Families rarely consume enough green vegetables and fruits, as the consumption of these essential diets have drastically reduced among households. Harried working mothers have no time to cook; and show little interest in the art. And with steady improvements in technology- freezers, microwave ovens and better containers for storing processed food- mothers, not just working ones, but interestingly, even the stay-at-home mothers have joined the league of those who do not need to cook at home. The proliferation of eateries at almost every corner is an indication that the people have bought into it, not just for the convenience but for the fact that it is seems like more of a fad – it is trendy. And no one wants to be left behind. The fast food joints are always crowded with customers at whatever time of the day and of course their owners are smiling to the banks daily.
But the big question is: At what or whose expense? Soon, I am afraid, if the current trend is not stemmed, the younger generation whose life span will have been drastically reduced, by these wrong dietary trend, will retire to an early grave leaving their more healthy parents to grieve for them. And this may come after gulping so much money on medical care arising from the skewed feeding, they have had over the years. This, no doubt, portends great danger not just to the world’s economy but the future in it’s entirety. The children are our future. We need healthy children for a better future, therefore, all efforts must be made to save the children and secure our future.