a warning should be given to parents

In what will be seen as a typically German ruthlessly efficient idea to combat childhood obesity the president of the major teaching federation in Germany has suggested that all children should be weighed at school and very overweight pupils should be removed from school completely.

Mr. Josef Kraus who is the DL teaching federation president explained that parents who allow their children to eat unhealthy and not get enough exercise could be guilty of child abuse in some cases. He said school doctors should be actively involved in weighing and measuring schoolchildren and should report cases of excessive obesity to the social services. He said a warning should be given to parents but if they continued to ignore them drastic action should be taken which could even involve removal of welfare and benefit payments.

Recently official figures released by the German government show that over half of all Germans are now clinically overweight and that the problem has risen over the last decade. The issue is more pronounced for men with 60 percent of them having a BMI of 25+ compared to only 43 percent of women with the same BMI figure. The figures for obesity show that sixteen percent of German men are obese [with a BMI of 30+] compared to slightly less for women at fourteen percent. 

Obesity is far from being just a German problem and in fact it is even more pronounced in the UK. Maybe the Germans will lead the way in enacting legislation to protect children from obesity which is so sorely needed in the European Union.

Governments have to realize that tough decisions need to be made and that the interest of the public health have to be put before the food manufacturers, fast food restaurants and all the other interested parties who are more concerned with making profits.

Health campaigns and public spirited initiatives have failed to stop the juggernaut of obesity which is costing EU nations billions of euros every year in increased health care costs.