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"Plus size clothes are on sale on Britain's high streets for children as young as three, in what health campaigners say is a sign that childhood obesity has moved beyond epidemic proportions.
The comments come as it has emerged that high street retailer Next is selling a range of "plus fit" clothing for children aged between 3 and 16.
Included in the range, which is for boys and girls, are a number of pairs of jeans and tracksuit bottoms designed for children with larger than average waists.
The retailer's "age 3 plus fit" trousers have a waistband which is 5cm larger than a standard "age 3" waistband, at 58 cm compared to 53 cm. "Age 10 plus fit" trousers have a waistband of 69 cm in size, compared to a 64 cm measure on standard "age 10" trousers.
Around a third of children leave primary school overweight or obese, with overeating the main cause, according to Duncan Selbie, chief executive at Public Health England.
Despite this Next is thought to be the only major clothing store in Britain to be selling casual wear garments which are specifically designed to fit children with larger-than-average waists.
Tam Fry, chief exec of the National Obesity Forum, said: "Next is simply catering for the market and the size of existing market is getting bigger, so they will be putting up their sizes. They may get stick for it but they are simply saying we have to clothe our customers.
"They are responding to current state of affairs, It has been in a bad state for a long time but this just shows it has now gone beyond the point of a crisis. The UK is sitting on a time bomb of childhood obesity, children are several times fatter than they were in 2002."
Caroline Taylor, founder at specialist plus size children's retailer More For Kids, said modern lifestyles were to blame and criticized major retailers for not doing enough to accommodate overweight children. She said: "Children are large for many reasons but a lot of it is down to their modern lifestyles. They are bound to their computers, their mums are working and they're eating sugary foods.
"Children who are unable to fit in because of their body image suffer the same trauma as someone who has had a serious illness so it must be taken seriously. They need to feel good so they can go out with their mates and don't just revert back to couch potato mode.
"The main retailers aren't doing enough and don't have a realistic understanding of needs of larger kids."
It comes as Public health bosses are urging food manufacturers to make chips, pizzas, crisps and burgers healthier in efforts to tackle childhood obesity.
It is thought that children's average waist measurements has significantly expanded in recent years, but NHS Digital and campaign groups said they did not hold data to prove this.
In 2010 M&S trialled a range of plus size children's clothes in response to consumer demand and trends among its competitors, however it decided not to make the collection permanent.
Most major retailers carry plus size school wear ranges, despite not offering larger waist options on casual wear. Next has been offering plus size casual wear for children since 2007.
A Next spokesman said: "Our different ‘fits’ cater for children with different size waist and hips, taking into account that children come in all different shapes and sizes."
Elizabeth Fox, chief executive at the National Children's Wear Association, said: "Children simply aren't as fit as they used to be, they are larger and heavier and this is a sad reflection on society."
All above words taken from here:
http://www.msn.com/en-gb/lifestyle/style/next-is-selling-plus-size-clothes-for-children-as-young-as-three/ar-AArWptx?li=AA2FOLs&ocid=spartandhp
We all do come in different shapes and sizes, but parents can play their part in helping to keep their kids as fit and healthy as possible.
Many (but not all) families do not seem to spend time together as much as they used to.
Modern life and it's demands?
A walk together as a family is free and fun and certainly helps towards a healthier lifestyle.
Perhaps a bicycle ride or swimming can be good for all too.
Keeping, and being active, for a few minutes every day just works wonders for our well-being
All the best Jan
The comments come as it has emerged that high street retailer Next is selling a range of "plus fit" clothing for children aged between 3 and 16.
Included in the range, which is for boys and girls, are a number of pairs of jeans and tracksuit bottoms designed for children with larger than average waists.
The retailer's "age 3 plus fit" trousers have a waistband which is 5cm larger than a standard "age 3" waistband, at 58 cm compared to 53 cm. "Age 10 plus fit" trousers have a waistband of 69 cm in size, compared to a 64 cm measure on standard "age 10" trousers.
Around a third of children leave primary school overweight or obese, with overeating the main cause, according to Duncan Selbie, chief executive at Public Health England.
Despite this Next is thought to be the only major clothing store in Britain to be selling casual wear garments which are specifically designed to fit children with larger-than-average waists.
Tam Fry, chief exec of the National Obesity Forum, said: "Next is simply catering for the market and the size of existing market is getting bigger, so they will be putting up their sizes. They may get stick for it but they are simply saying we have to clothe our customers.
"They are responding to current state of affairs, It has been in a bad state for a long time but this just shows it has now gone beyond the point of a crisis. The UK is sitting on a time bomb of childhood obesity, children are several times fatter than they were in 2002."
Caroline Taylor, founder at specialist plus size children's retailer More For Kids, said modern lifestyles were to blame and criticized major retailers for not doing enough to accommodate overweight children. She said: "Children are large for many reasons but a lot of it is down to their modern lifestyles. They are bound to their computers, their mums are working and they're eating sugary foods.
"Children who are unable to fit in because of their body image suffer the same trauma as someone who has had a serious illness so it must be taken seriously. They need to feel good so they can go out with their mates and don't just revert back to couch potato mode.
"The main retailers aren't doing enough and don't have a realistic understanding of needs of larger kids."
It comes as Public health bosses are urging food manufacturers to make chips, pizzas, crisps and burgers healthier in efforts to tackle childhood obesity.
It is thought that children's average waist measurements has significantly expanded in recent years, but NHS Digital and campaign groups said they did not hold data to prove this.
In 2010 M&S trialled a range of plus size children's clothes in response to consumer demand and trends among its competitors, however it decided not to make the collection permanent.
Most major retailers carry plus size school wear ranges, despite not offering larger waist options on casual wear. Next has been offering plus size casual wear for children since 2007.
A Next spokesman said: "Our different ‘fits’ cater for children with different size waist and hips, taking into account that children come in all different shapes and sizes."
Elizabeth Fox, chief executive at the National Children's Wear Association, said: "Children simply aren't as fit as they used to be, they are larger and heavier and this is a sad reflection on society."
All above words taken from here:
http://www.msn.com/en-gb/lifestyle/style/next-is-selling-plus-size-clothes-for-children-as-young-as-three/ar-AArWptx?li=AA2FOLs&ocid=spartandhp
We all do come in different shapes and sizes, but parents can play their part in helping to keep their kids as fit and healthy as possible.
Many (but not all) families do not seem to spend time together as much as they used to.
Modern life and it's demands?
A walk together as a family is free and fun and certainly helps towards a healthier lifestyle.
Perhaps a bicycle ride or swimming can be good for all too.
Keeping, and being active, for a few minutes every day just works wonders for our well-being
All the best Jan
