Niki Bezzant: You can't outrun a bad diet

More than ever, exercise is important for adolescents, but what they eat matters most. Photo / 123RF

COMMENT: It probably surprised very few people to hear the most recent findings from the Dunedin Study showing that adolescents today are fatter and less fit than their parents were at the same age. It's possibly the first time the fitness of two generations of Kiwis has been evaluated, and the results were not good news.

The 15- and 16-year-olds, whose parents were measured in the mid-80s when they were the same age, were heavier and had higher body mass index (BMI) than the parents. They also scored worse on fitness tests, which was particularly noticeable in the adolescent girls.

The researchers say these trends are likely to result in an increased burden on health and society, since physical fitness in adolescence tracks into adulthood, and poor fitness is an established health risk.

In fact, physical inactivity is now the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality. "Measures to improve physical fitness among New Zealanders are urgently needed," the researchers say.

There's no doubt lack of exercise is a problem for kids now, as much as it is for adults. Today's kids are more sedentary than kids in the past. Other research has found children's running performance has declined over time, and screen time and time spent sitting has increased.

But although there's been lots of discussion about how to get kids moving more, we shouldn't forget this is just one part of the picture when it comes to obesity —​ and it's probably not even half the picture.

It's easy to assume that hitting the gym or the sports field is a sure-fire way to lose weight. Popular culture and makeover-style TV shows give the same impression: Workouts are the way to get slim. But the experts tell us that for weight loss, it's mostly about what and how we eat. You can't outrun a bad diet, as they say.

For teens, the challenges of staying healthy are many. Teens have always been the target market for junk food, and as teenagers we can often get away with eating it. The energy needs of a teenage boy, for example, are the highest of any human, as any parent who's had the job of feeding one will know. It can seem like an impossible task just keeping them full, and it feels like a few burgers here and there won't hurt.

But at some point a poor-quality diet will catch up with us, even if it's not until our 30s.

That's why it's important to get good habits established in our young people. For teens it could be as simple as trying to sit down and eat as a family a few nights a week. Local research has shown kids who regularly eat with their families report better family relationships and better communication.

Frequent family meals are also associated with eating more healthy food, and with better wellbeing, fewer indicators of depressive mood, and fewer risk-taking behaviours. These are healthy qualities we'd all want for the next generation.

• Niki Bezzant is editor-at-large for Healthy Food Guide www.healthyfood.co.nz