Bupa have published a new report entitled How Are you Britain? which looks at the state of the nation's health. They also asked future parents about how they expect to regulate their children's wellbeing.
The number of children aged 2-16 is expected to rise from the current figure of 10.8 million to 11.6 million by 2021. Bupa collected data from 1,081 16 - 30-year-olds who hope to start a family and compared it with data from 1,012 existing parents children aged 16 and under. According to the study, we can expect to see the next generation of children spending more time outdoors and eating more healthily.
At present, 71% of existing parents don't let their children eat junk food. By contrast, 96% of future parents said they wouldn't allow junk food. Today's children spend 165 minutes per day watching TV or playing video game. The future parents' average target was 141 minutes (the recommended maximum is 120 minutes). The study also suggests that 2.5 million more children will cycle or walk to school, and that 4 million more children will participate in regular sports activities in future. By and large, time spend watching TV was more of a concern for future mothers, and time spent on sport was more of an issue for future fathers.
Bianca Parau, who is a senior paediatric dietitian at Bupa Cromwell Hospital, welcomed the study's findings. She pointed out that childhood obesity is becoming increasingly prevalent at the moment, which means a heightened risk of illnesses including diabetes and heart disease in later life.
She acknowledged that parents' best intentions don't always fully materialise when they're confronted with the challenges of the real world, but said that future parents had the right attitude, and said this should be treated as a positive sign.
The number of children aged 2-16 is expected to rise from the current figure of 10.8 million to 11.6 million by 2021. Bupa collected data from 1,081 16 - 30-year-olds who hope to start a family and compared it with data from 1,012 existing parents children aged 16 and under. According to the study, we can expect to see the next generation of children spending more time outdoors and eating more healthily.
At present, 71% of existing parents don't let their children eat junk food. By contrast, 96% of future parents said they wouldn't allow junk food. Today's children spend 165 minutes per day watching TV or playing video game. The future parents' average target was 141 minutes (the recommended maximum is 120 minutes). The study also suggests that 2.5 million more children will cycle or walk to school, and that 4 million more children will participate in regular sports activities in future. By and large, time spend watching TV was more of a concern for future mothers, and time spent on sport was more of an issue for future fathers.
Bianca Parau, who is a senior paediatric dietitian at Bupa Cromwell Hospital, welcomed the study's findings. She pointed out that childhood obesity is becoming increasingly prevalent at the moment, which means a heightened risk of illnesses including diabetes and heart disease in later life.
She acknowledged that parents' best intentions don't always fully materialise when they're confronted with the challenges of the real world, but said that future parents had the right attitude, and said this should be treated as a positive sign.
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