Activity Sheffield to be axed, a good way to combat obesity?

[bendix]

People have to start taking responsibility for their health issues - we need to reserve sympathy for those who die an early death from illnesses and diseases that are not their fault. It shouldn't be the state who picks up the tab for obesity-related issues. After all - there weren't any - or very few - overweight people during/after the war when rationing was around. Are we to say there were also no 'emotional' issues around then? Just staying alive was a bonus!

 

 

Totally agree with this. I'm 52 and was born and brought up in a poor family on a council estate. There was no obesity then, and our lives were much harder than the SkyTV-watching, Lotto-buying, so-called poor today.

 

Could it be because our equally poor parents made an effort when it came to cooking fresh fruit and vegetables for us, instead of heading out for a pizza? And could it be that they knew how to parent us - we were out all day playing football. Today, parents control their kids with a tablet computer and the TV.

 

There is nothing 'structural' about this. It's out and out personal choices.

[gomgeg]

What structural disadvantages are these, and how do you explain those born into poverty who aren't obese?

 

People need to stop blaming external factors and 'society' for what are essentially personal choices.

Quite right, as already been said it's much cheaper to buy healthy food than junk food, yesterday evening we went to ASDA and I know it's Christmas but we bought two bags each of apples, oranges and satsumas from the still fresh counter for £1.20 total and carrots, sprouts and parsnips on offer at 20p a bag.

It's quite easy actually to point the finger and move on, it's about personal choice.

If someone's determined to be unhealthy they will be and no matter how much help is offered it won't be taken. It's not about poverty, it's about generational behaviour and in most cases fat people have fat parents, and usually thick parents.

[lindylou53]

Totally agree with this. I'm 52 and was born and brought up in a poor family on a council estate. There was no obesity then, and our lives were much harder than the SkyTV-watching, Lotto-buying, so-called poor today.

 

Could it be because our equally poor parents made an effort when it came to cooking fresh fruit and vegetables for us, instead of heading out for a pizza? And could it be that they knew how to parent us - we were out all day playing football. Today, parents control their kids with a tablet computer and the TV.

 

There is nothing 'structural' about this. It's out and out personal choices.

 

Spot on! Show me a 'poor' family whose house doesn't have a satellite dish.

[bendix]

It's not about poverty, it's about generational behaviour and in most cases fat people have fat parents, and usually thick parents.

 

In fairness to whoever it was who talked about structural disadvantages, I suspect this is what they mean.

 

I think it's a weak argument though. Having fat parents who fed you crap food because . . well . . they are crap parents doesn't have to doom you to a life of obesity. It's not a terminal illness. Once you can make your own choices about what you put in your mouth and how much or little you move around, you can change it.

 

It's not rocket science.

[Cyclone]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-tirado/why-poor-peoples-bad-decisions-make-perfect-sense_b_4326233.html

 

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/sep/21/linda-tirado-poverty-hand-to-mouth-extract

 

http://www.acoss.org.au/media_release/disadvantage-is-entrenched-and-structural-in-poorest-communities/

 

http://www.epi.org/blog/inequality-main-persistent-poverty/

 

It's all well and good to just point the finger of blame, but it doesn't help in the slightest to address the continuing increase in obesity.

It's all very tory though isn't it. Blame the poor for being poor, blame them for being unhealthy or overweight. If only they worked harder then they'd be slim and well off.

 

http://frac.org/initiatives/hunger-and-obesity/are-low-income-people-at-greater-risk-for-overweight-or-obesity/

 

https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/jan/23/fact-checking-obesity-poverty-link

 

There's lots of data, analysis and research out there. So rather than just pointing a finger and going, "well, it's their own fault init", do some reading.

 

---------- Post added 22-12-2016 at 15:53 ----------

 

 

It's not rocket science.

 

It's not. It's sociology, much harder to grasp than rocket science.

Edited December 22, 2016 by Cyclone

[bendix]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-tirado/why-poor-peoples-bad-decisions-make-perfect-sense_b_4326233.html

 

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/sep/21/linda-tirado-poverty-hand-to-mouth-extract

 

http://www.acoss.org.au/media_release/disadvantage-is-entrenched-and-structural-in-poorest-communities/

 

http://www.epi.org/blog/inequality-main-persistent-poverty/

 

It's all well and good to just point the finger of blame, but it doesn't help in the slightest to address the continuing increase in obesity.

It's all very tory though isn't it. Blame the poor for being poor, blame them for being unhealthy or overweight. If only they worked harder then they'd be slim and well off.

 

 

Pffft . . politics has nothing to do with it, and it's already been pointed out that there are also healthy poor people who give a damn about themselves and their families.

 

The trouble with the liberal leftie do-gooders is that it never wants to blame anyone for anything - it's always society's fault. Society has a lot to answer for, but it isn't 'society' who is making people eshew making an effort to eat healthy food in favour of just one more Big Mac.

[lindylou53]

Sorry but there's only one person who can be to blame for lack of will-power........

[Cyclone]

I can't make you read or learn, so lets just leave it there shall we.

[gomgeg]

In fairness to whoever it was who talked about structural disadvantages, I suspect this is what they mean.

 

I think it's a weak argument though. Having fat parents who fed you crap food because . . well . . they are crap parents doesn't have to doom you to a life of obesity. It's not a terminal illness. Once you can make your own choices about what you put in your mouth and how much or little you move around, you can change it.

 

It's not rocket science.

I still think it's a generational thing like unemployment, if parents are unemployed kids are more likely to be unemployed.

Like some one said on here, I lived in a council house til I got married, my dad always worked and my mother fed us healthy food, two of my siblings went to Uni and non of us were or are fat.

I'm simply making comments of how I think on what is after all a discussion forum. Some people will always take that as a form of fascism if we don't agree with their point of view.

[beansforyou]

Interesting point, but I dont think so or at least i dont think it works out like that. If you are in poor health during working life it means less tax revenue. What would tend to happen is they might die a few years earlier, but they need much more care at the time.

 

But if your healthy and working, paying tax, your probably not in need of this handout.