Warning: Excessive Confectioneries As Rewards Only Increases Health Problems In Children?

Today’s kids are tomorrow’s adults. Therefore, it is important that the health of the future generation of society is protected and maintained with extreme care and caution. Proper nutrition during childhood and adolescent stages is an essential means of maintaining growth and development in areas of health and wellbeing. Good eating habits and proper balanced diet in a child’s daily intake goes a long way in developing the nutritional wellbeing of the child (Maggie et al., 2002).

Confectioneries such as candies, wafer, chocolates, chips, and chewing gums are food high in sugar and these tend to be high in calories and low in nutrients which lead to obesity (Holder, 2014). The ugly truth is that added sugar means empty calories that make kids obese and increases health problems which become worse during the adolescent stage (Nelson & Zeratsyky, 2012).

The World Health Organization has labeled childhood obesity as one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21^st century. According to Rhoda, children who are obese are likely to be obese adults in the near future, thereby developing the risk of chronic non-communicable ailments such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. However, this goes a long way to demand billions of money into health sector which hinders national development.

What health risks are associated with confectioneries?

The growth rate of diabetes and obesity as a result of confectionery products has become a major public health concern as “obesity is taken to be caused by an excess of caloric intake, fatty foods, and sweet food and drinks...”(Ambler, 2004). Most parents feel enticing their young children with confectionery is a good go, but no, it a slow killing warrant.

“Ehhmmm, of course, the biggest risk now in our setting in this time… at this moment is childhood obesity that we all talk about and of course, if the child is used to taking confectionery, then the risk of not eating adequately is something (Pause) to be considered and that means that you will probably be talking to malnutrition to because they are not eating enough… because they are eating more of confectioneries. And child obesity as we all know it now has a lot of complication. We are dealing a lot with ehmmm diabetes, juvenile diabetes and all that. And these are big concerns to our setting right now or to the health system right now-.Dr. Salimatu Attah Nantogma, a health expert at the Momobi General Hospital explains.

Credit:

Personal Interview with Dr. Nantogma
Holder, C. W. (2014, August). Carbohydrates,Sugar and your Kids. Retrieved January 2016, from Kids Health
Ambler, T. (2014). Does the UK promotion of food and drinks to children contribute to their obesity. London Business School.
Maggie Geuens, Gitte Mast, and Patrick De Pelsmacker (2002) ,"Children’S Influence on Family Purchase Behavior: the Role of Family Structure", in AP - Asia Pacific Advances in Consumer Research Volume 5, eds. Ramizwick and Tu Ping, Valdosta, GA : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 130-135