THE RECIPE FOR OBESITY: 21ST CENTURY CHILDHOOD

Silliness, parental denial and Brits without stones measuring in stones.

Silliness: "But she points out that individuals do not gain weight for the same reasons."

Sure they do. Weight gain is the result of an energy imbalance.

Parental denial: "Connor's 35-year-old mother, Nicola McKeown, in turn blamed doctors for failing to help the family. 'They've tried to say that I've neglected Connor and he should come under the child abuse act, and I think it's really disgusting,' she told one interviewer. 'Through Connor's weight gain, there's been no-one there to step in.'"

The mother has been there to step-in. She chose not to. "In an alarming description of Connor's life, his family admitted that he eats 'chips with everything' and snacks on 'junk food all day long at the computer.'"

Stones: "Until recently, Connor weighed in at 15st 8lbs, nearly four times the weight of a healthy child of his age."

No stones: "Last week, a child protection conference decided against putting him into care, although doctors warned that he was facing an early death unless he lost lots of weight. Consultant paediatrician Dr Michael Markiewicz said: 'As far as I'm concerned this is a form of child abuse - not intentionally done, but the result is child abuse.'"

Good for this doc (though it must be intentional, but possibly not malicious), bad for Connor and the rest of the kids who are condemned to remaining in toxic homes.

These Brits apparently do not have the stones to do what appears to be right for the child.