Dieting the overweight schoolchild

Family attitudes toward food create a very important influence upon the eating habits of the growing child. It is both unfair and often futile to expect a youngster to control a lusty appetite while other members of his family gorge without restraint, particularly if they too have a weight problem. A mutually supportive atmosphere exists within a family and it was wondered whether a child and its mother both actively dieting together would encourage a good weight loss from each. It was also suggested that if one person (the child) ceased to be compelled to follow a diet whilst the other (the mother) continued regularly instruction at a slimming group then the dietary discipline and attitudes created by the previous period of dieting would continue to exert an influence on the child even though the child had been “freed” from the discipline of group therapy. Further, it was hoped that the example of the mother would act as an encouragement for the child to continue to check what he eats.