Childhood obesity classed as neglect
26 Jul 2010
Parents who do not help their obese children lose weight could be considered guilty of neglect.
A failure by parents of obese children to help them lose weight could be considered neglect, according to a group of medical experts.
Writing in the British Medical Journal this month, they suggest that such neglect should be treated more seriously as a child protection issue, particularly if a child’s obesity puts them at risk of health problems such as type 2 diabetes.
The group, led by Dr Russell Viner from the UCL Institute of Child Health, said that "consistent failure by parents to change lifestyle and engage with professionals or with weight management initiatives would constitute neglect."
It suggested that a failure by parents to address obesity could also signal other child protection concerns, with increasing evidence linking both adolescent and adult obesity with childhood sexual abuse, violence, and neglect.
The article notes that the factors leading to obesity are so complex, that parental neglect should not automatically be assumed as the cause of a child’s obesity, nor should parents be criticised “for failing to treat it successfully, if they engage adequately with treatment.”
However, the authors believe that consistent failure by parents to change lifestyle and engage with professionals or with weight management initiatives would constitute neglect.
This is of particular concern if an obese child is at imminent risk of disorders like obstructive sleep apnoea, hypertension, type 2 diabetes or mobility restrictions.
The British Medical Journal article, entitled ‘When Does Obesity Become a Child Protection Issue?’ calls for guidelines for social workers and other children’s professionals on the child protection concerns around obesity.