Childhood obesity and consumption of fizzy drinks: Play outside to reduce childhood obesity

doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7456.54-a

BMJ 2004;329:54 (3 July), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7456.54-a

Letter

Childhood obesity and consumption of fizzy drinks

Play outside to reduce childhood obesity

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Editor—Preventing childhood obesity by reducing the consumptionof carbonated drinks was studied by James et al.¹ The rise inchildhood obesity is paralleled by the rise in parental fearsof the risks to children of being unaccompanied outdoors. Ifind it strange that the simple solution, to let children playoutside more, is dismissed as impossible in our modern society.Stranger-danger is largely a myth promoted by the mass media,yet there are few voices raised against it.

The big childhood obesity debate in January 2004 promoted bythe Observer subsequently went unreported in the newspaper,and no wonder. It was a sad litany of "Big Sport," sensing achance to climb onto a funding bandwagon while defending itsrights to any corporate sponsorship, and the food industry desperateto escape blame, aided by a government minister's view thatcar ownership was a good thing and a great liberator of . . . [Full text of this article]

Alan Sutton, freelance consultant

Westminster Play Association, London W2 1LG alansutton@blueyonder.co.uk

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