The claim by a fitness guru that childhood obesity is akin to childhood abuse has been denounced as “inflammatory” by an RSCI doctor who specialises in helping children lose weight. 

Nick Mitchell, who owns Ultimate Performance gyms, said that, “If your child is obese and you’re doing nothing about it - how is that any different from seeing your child smoke cigarettes and you’re not wanting to stop your child smoking cigarettes? I think that would be considered child abuse.” 

The comments have provoked a strong reaction and Dr Grace O’Malley said they were not helpful: 

“I think it’s an inflammatory type of language,” she told Lunchtime Live. 

“When you use the word ‘abuse’ everybody listening thinks it’s parental abuse and they’re not necessarily thinking of societal abuse. 

“So where we have a society that promotes intake of ultra processed food, we have no restrictions over digital marketing, advertising of these very unhealthy products, we have a societal responsibility for that. 

“And perhaps there is an aspect of abuse there on behalf of all of our community in that children aren’t growing up in a healthy environment. 

“But for Mr Mitchell he conflates the behaviour of smoking and alcohol to having  obesity - which is a health condition and it’s not a behaviour in itself. 

“So that’s one thing where his argument doesn’t really stand.” 

In 2019, an estimated one in five Irish five-year-olds were considered overweight or obese and children from lower income families were disproportionately affected. 

However, Dr O’Malley added that in the vast majority of cases parents do try to help their children lose weight: 

“It is important to think about parental neglect but it’s a very, very minimal number of cases. The vast majority of parents are really trying their best,” she continued. 

“They are accepting and loving their children the way they are - regardless of their shape or their size… And in the vast majority of cases parents look for help, so I don’t think abuse is a useful word.” 

Main image: An overweight child. Picture by: Alamy.com