Obesity Warning Over Children's Portion Sizes

Almost one in eight children are regularly overfed, a new study has found, sparking a new child obesity warning.

The study, commissioned by the Infant and Toddler Forum (ITF), revealed that 79% of children aged one to four are often given more than the recommended portion size for their age.

A further one in 10 parents regularly serve adult-sized portions of popular meals.

Responding to the findings, the ITF warned that routinely overfeeding children overrides their natural ability to regulate food intake, increasing their chances of becoming obese in later life.

Gill Harris, child and clinical psychologist and a member of the ITF, said: "It's never too early to start promoting healthy eating habits.

"Most toddlers are naturally better than older children and adults at regulating their food intake.

"They usually only eat what they need and don't overeat. However, portion size is critical. It's one of the main ways in which, as parents, we can inadvertently override children's self-regulation systems."

The study asked 1,000 parents to look at pictures of popular meals and select the portion sizes they give to their children.

They were also asked how often they give their children certain foods and snacks.

It revealed that 10% of respondents serve their children close to an adult-size portion of spaghetti bolognese or cheese sandwiches.

Another 10% of parents give snack portions that are too high, with more than a third of parents giving young children a whole bag of crisps - nearly twice the recommended amount.

The research also looked at drink portions, finding that 65% of parents routinely offered too much squash or fruit juice.

Just a quarter of parents said they felt "very confident" about the right amount of food to give their child.