8-Year-Old Boys Weighs 218 Pounds

[Family Ties Forever!]

Wow, that's sad. He's only eight and weighs 218 lbs.

link

Mother Retains Custody Of 218-Pound Child
8-Year-Old Boy Weighs 218 Pounds

Posted: 10:28 am CST February 27, 2007
Updated: 3:11 pm CST February 27, 2007

London -- A mother who feared she might lose custody of her obese 8-year-old son unless he lost weight was allowed to keep the boy after striking a deal Tuesday with social workers to safeguard his welfare.

The case has set off a debate over child obesity and raised questions about whether genetics, junk food or bad parenting is to blame.

Connor McCreaddie, of Wallsend in northeastern England, weighs 218 pounds, four times the weight of a healthy child his age.

Connor and his mother, Nicola McKeown, 35, both attended a child protection meeting Tuesday with North Tyneside Council officials.

Before it began, McKeown, a single mother of two, said she hoped she would not lose custody of her son.

"I'm not too good, and I'm very nervous about the meeting. I'm hoping for the best," she said.

Afterward, the Local Safeguarding Children Board issued a statement saying it "was able to confirm that its hope and ambition is to enable this child to remain with his family. In order to move this matter forward, we have made a formal agreement with the family to safeguard and promote the child's welfare."

The agency provided no details about what Connor or his mother would have to do to fight his obesity.

The hearing was held under the Children Act, which places a duty on the local authority to conduct an inquiry if it has "reasonable cause to suspect that a child ... in their area is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm."

The boy's case attracted national attention after his mother allowed an ITV News crew to film his day-to-day life for a month.

When he was 2½, Connor was too heavy for his mother to pick him up, and at 5, he weighed more than 126 pounds, said The Journal, a regional newspaper. Now the boy, who is tall for his age at 5 feet, wears adult clothes and size eight shoes, the newspaper said.

Sky TV showed footage of Connor's mother serving him meals of french fries, meat and buttered bread.

"He'll hover around the kitchen for food. He'll continually go in the fridge," McKeown said of her son. "I just keep telling him to get out of the fridge, wait until meal times and stuff. But at the end of the day, he was born hungry. He has always been hungry."

"Bacon. Mmmm... That's my favorite. Um ... chicken , steak, sausage," the boy told the camera.

Obesity is essentially caused by eating more calories than you burn. Obese people are sometimes thought to have lower metabolic rates than normal, meaning they need less food to maintain their weight.

Childhood obesity is of particular concern because it greatly increases the risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, skeletal disorders and strokes. Certain cancers are also associated with obesity, and obese children have a higher chance of premature death.

Several genetic conditions also contribute to obesity, such as Prader-Willis syndrome, a rare disease characterized by excessive appetite, problems in the central nervous system and a low IQ. Another rare genetic disease, Bradet-Biedl syndrome, can lead to problems such as vision loss, obesity and being born with extra fingers and toes.

Levels of obesity have tripled in England since 1980, according to the Food Standards Agency. More than half of women and about two-thirds of men are either overweight or obese, it said. Obesity causes about 18 million sick days and 30,000 deaths a year in England alone, the National Audit Office said.

It remained unclear whether doctors had determined whether diet and lifestyle were the only cause of Connor's obesity.

Neville Rigby, a director at the International Association for the Study of Obesity in London, declined to discuss Connor's case. But he said the public often stigmatizes overweight people without knowing their situation and assumes they are guilty of self neglect.

"Obesity and diabetes used to be seen as middle-age problems, but now we're seeing more and more children with both problems," Rigby said.

"But remember, in this era of nonstop advertising about low-nutrient, high-calorie foods, many parents find it difficult to tear their children from sweets and persuade them to eat fruit and vegetables."

He said he hoped social workers would find out what has caused Connor's obesity.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[Ireneparalegal]

Is the mother overweight too?

Where is the father?

[dawsongirl]

A co-worker of mine showed us a CNN video online of this. Mother looks like a real piece of work, if you know what I mean. Check CNN.com...the video may be there.

[Nighthawk76]

218 pounds on an 8-year old cannot be healthy. I weigh 195 and I am 6 feet tall. And I weigh too much.

[dawsongirl]

http://www.cnn.com/video/player/play...kids.itn&wm=11

[SBTB Geek]

So disgusting. There's NO REASON for being that fat at that age.

His breathing is so heavy I can't even make out what he's saying. He needs help ASAP.

[Holly]

Originally Posted by _Jen_

Wow, that's sad. He's only eight and weighs 218 lbs.

That's sad.. Why would they let there child that heavy? I seen that on aol.com new's ..The child could die because of that weight.. hopefully she does something to him... People these days probley just don't care.

[Ireneparalegal]

You think this boy is overweight, check out this link regarding a 7 year old girl who weighs over 400 pounds:

http://www.flicklife.com/02887dfbe55...00_Pounds.html

[swedeace]

I just have one word to say about this - damn!

[swedeace]

Originally Posted by Ireneparalegal

You think this boy is overweight, check out this link regarding a 7 year old girl who weighs over 400 pounds:

http://www.flicklife.com/02887dfbe55...00_Pounds.html

Do you know if this website has part two of this continuing story? I am curious as to what more was said.

I hope these two children get help. This is dangerous.

[catlover79]

Oh my goodness...get these kids help!!

[Brad Russ]

One thing this article proves, is that obesity isn't just an epidemic in America, as many people like to claim. It is quickly becoming an epidemic everywhere. These statistics are just plain scary!!!

Levels of obesity have tripled in England since 1980, according to the Food Standards Agency. More than half of women and about two-thirds of men are either overweight or obese, it said. Obesity causes about 18 million sick days and 30,000 deaths a year in England alone, the National Audit Office said.

In regards to this particular case, it's just baffling to me. I can't even imagine what a 218 pound 8 year old would even look like. For the sake of this poor kid, I seriously hope this mother gets her act together, and starts acting like a mother, before the damage she does to her son is irreversible. (If it's not already).

[Brad Russ]

Originally Posted by Hollywood Rock Chic

I am surprised that these mothers have not had their children taken away from them; a child (whom is two years old) weighing 218 is child abuse.

I agree!! Having an 8 year old who weighs that much is just as dangerous, (if not moreso) then letting him smoke or drink. in excess, those things take countless years off of ones life, and gluttony does the same thing. There's no way I could see that kid even making it past 30 years old, if the mother lets him continue living like this, and if the Government just sits back and lets her do it. If she continues to let her son live that way, she definitely shouldn't have custody of him. It's a death sentance!! You know if she let him smoke or drink, she'd have him taken away in a split second!!

[catlover79]

Originally Posted by Little Mel

I agree!! Having an 8 year old who weighs that much is just as dangerous, (if not moreso) then letting him smoke or drink. in excess, those things take countless years off of ones life, and gluttony does the same thing. There's no way I could see that kid even making it past 30 years old, if the mother lets him continue living like this, and if the Government just sits back and lets her do it. If she continues to let her son live that way, she definitely shouldn't have custody of him. It's a death sentance!! You know if she let him smoke or drink, she'd have him taken away in a split second!!

Well said!! You're absolutely right.

[Brad Russ]

Originally Posted by catlover79

Well said!! You're absolutely right.

Thanks!!