A new weight-loss app aimed at kids as young as 8 is not getting a stamp of approval from the Public Health Unit.
The recently-released app from WW, formerly Weight Watchers, has drawn plenty of attention.
Nutritionist Vincent Ng says there is already a stigma around weight, adding there are concerns about getting kids to watch their weight too closely.
“Especially apps like this that use categories to put foods as either good or bad food,” Ng points out. “There’s concerns that [it] gets interpreted as, ‘if I eat a good food, then I’m a good person, but if I don’t eat a good food, what does that make me?'”
The Health Unit official says there are better strategies that kids and adults should consider.
“We found that by focusing on healthy lifestyles like physical activity, nutrition, sleep, [and] stress management, that helps with people’s health more so than focusing on the number on the scale.”
Ng says they often recommend parents demonstrate healthy behaviours for kids.
“If parents put out healthy foods and let kids decide if they want to eat them and how much, and [parents are] also eating them, research shows over time, kids tend to follow healthier lifestyles as a result.”
The nutritionist adds school and the community also have a role to play, by making healthier choices accessible and easy to make.
