A dietary behavior study conducted by the Formosa Cancer Foundation (FCF) a couple of months ago found that the majority of obese children in Taiwan’s elementary schools have parents who are yielding too much to their child’s dietary decisions. The survey shows that over 60 percent of parents with obese children allow their children to choose what food they eat. Only 13 percent of the parents actually encouraged their children to eat fruit and vegetables when their child refused to eat them, and 30 percent put snacks in their child’s schoolbag for them to munch on between meals. Twenty percent of the parents with obese children believed their child’s Body Mass Index (BMI) to be at a normal level, despite the conspicuous corpulence of their child, and nearly 20 percent of them did not even know the meaning of the term BMI.
Lai Chi-ming, the executive director of the FCF, said according to data released by the Department of Health (DOH), obesity is closely associated with six of the diseases that are currently among the top 10 causes of death in Taiwan. Approximately one in three boys and one in four girls in Taiwan’s elementary schools are either overweight or obese. There is also a 25-33 percent chance that obese children will remain that way even after adulthood is reached.
The study shows that the probability of obese boys suffering from hypertension and hyperglycemia is 2.5 times higher than the average boy, and between two to three times higher for girls.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
照片:自由時報記者朱沛雄
The FCF surveyed the parents of 139 elementary school students with normal BMI levels and those of 130 children whose BMI levels exceeded standard levels. The results showed that 62 percent of parents with obese children rush to finish meals eaten with their children, and usually finish eating in less than half an hour, while almost 80 percent of the children with normal BMI levels spent more than 30 minutes on average finishing meals with their parents. Over 40 percent of the parents with obese children only occasionally or never cooked meals for their children, but as much as 74 percent of children with normal BMI levels have parents that cooked meals for them at least three days a week. Apparently eating out too much is also an important factor contributing to childhood obesity.
The study also concluded that the parents of children with obesity included in the study must improve their dietary views and habits. For example, 35 percent of the parents with obese children substitute normal meals with junk food on a regular basis, or when they are too busy. However, only 16 percent of parents with children that have normal BMI levels exhibit the same behavior. The study also found that over half of the obese children’s parents were in the habit of eating more meat than fruit and vegetables, which was 25 percent higher than parents of children that are not obese. Furthermore, 30 percent of obese children’s parents prefer foods that have a strong and robust flavor, while only 20 percent of the other parents prefer such foods.
Lai Yi-chun, a dietician at the FCF, said parents are responsible for the diet of their child, adding that this study shows how the majority of parents excessively yield to their children’s dietary preferences. Lai suggested that parents should intervene and provide more guidance when educa-ting their children about nutrition, and that in order to teach children to adopt healthier dietary habits, they should not make decisions based solely on their child’s own dietary preferences.
(LIBERTY TIMES, TRANSLATED BY TAIJING WU)
國小學童太過肥胖,大多是父母過於順從造成的。台灣癌症基金會調查發現,肥胖學童的父母中,逾六成讓孩子自選餐點內容;當孩子拒絕吃蔬果時,僅有一成三的家長會鼓勵孩子吃;有三成會在孩子的書包裏放零食;即便孩子已經肥胖,仍有兩成認為孩子的身體質量指數(BMI)正常,另外,有近兩成受訪家長不知道什麼是BMI。
台灣癌症基金會執行長賴基銘表示,日前衛署公布國人十大死因,肥胖引起的疾病就佔了六項,影響不亞於塑化劑;目前國小男童中,約每三人就有一人體重過重或肥胖,女童約為每四人就有一人,而且小時候肥胖有三分之一到四分之一的機會,到成年後仍然是肥胖。
研究顯示,男童肥胖罹患高血壓及高血糖的風險是正常兒童的二點五倍,女童則多出二到三倍。
台灣癌症基金會特別針對一百三十九名「BMI標準」及一百三十名「BMI肥胖」學童的父母進行調查,發現肥胖組的父母有六成二,陪孩子吃飯都是在半小時內草草解決,標準組則有近八成陪孩子吃飯超過半小時以上;肥胖組的父母「偶爾煮飯」及「從來不煮」的比例佔了四成以上,反觀標準組的父母,高達七成四一週內為孩子煮三天以上的飯。很顯然地,過多外食也是造成肥胖孩童的重要因素。
研究也發現,肥胖組的家長飲食觀念及習慣有待改進,有三成五的肥胖組父母自認為「很忙時就會」或是「常常」將垃圾食物當正餐,但標準組的父母僅有一成六,且肥胖組的父母飲食習慣有超過五成是「肉類多於蔬果」,比標準組父母多出兩成五,另外,有三成肥胖組父母喜愛吃「口味重的食物」,標準組父母則只有兩成。
台灣癌症基金會營養師賴怡君表示,孩子的飲食,其實父母的責任很大,從這次調查可以發現父母在飲食上多是「順溺」孩子的,但其實在面對學童的營養教育,應該多點「介入」與「引導」,不能隨孩子的喜好做選擇,以教導孩子養成健康飲食的習慣。
(自由時報記者魏怡嘉)
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
Rice is an essential ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine. Many foods are made of rice, adding more variety to our cooking, such as rice cake, or “gui.” Wagui is made by steaming rice flour batter in a bowl. The term “gui” refers to a type of food made from rice, while “wa” refers to a bowl. The pronunciation of “gui” in Taiwanese Hokkien is similar to the word for “nobility” in Chinese, so it is common for people to prepare various types of gui, including wagui, as offerings to the gods or ancestors,. 米是台灣重要的主食,用米製成的食品十分多元,豐富我們的飲食,如米做成的「粿」。粿的意思是米做成的糕點,碗粿是將在來米漿倒入碗中蒸熟,因而得名。粿因為音同「貴」,因此碗粿等粿食常用作供品祭拜神明和祖先。 nobility (n.) 高貴,高尚;貴族 offering (n.) 供品 While Taiwan may not be
On Tuesday last week, the flame for this summer’s Paris Olympics was lit at the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games in southern Greece in a meticulously choreographed ceremony. It will then be carried through Greece for more than 5,000km before being handed over to French organizers at the Athens venue used for the first modern Olympics in 1896. The pageantry at Olympia has been an essential part of every Olympics for nearly 90 years since the Games in Berlin. It’s meant to provide an ineluctable link between the modern event and the ancient Greek original on which it was initially modelled. Once
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang As with many aspects of Japanese culture, there is etiquette to follow when you enjoy noodles. To fully experience noodles like a local on your next visit to Japan, consider these simple guidelines. First, be careful where you put your chopsticks. Don’t leave them sticking up in the broth or set them at the side of the bowl. When you have finished eating or if you’re taking a break, place them on the chopstick rest next to the bowl. Also, it is impolite to wave chopsticks around or bring them above mouth-level. Second, don’t take too