Shadowing Practice: More children are obese than underweight, says Unicef | BBC News - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Right, now there are now more obese or overweight children in the world than underweight ones.
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Right, now there are now more obese or overweight children in the world than underweight ones.
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That's according to a report out today from the UN's children's agency UNICEF.
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It says one in ten children globally are now living with obesity.
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Low and middle income countries are experiencing the steepest rise in overweight school children and adolescents.
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South Africa is one of the countries listed as having the biggest problems with childhood obesity,
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with 25% of under fives overweight or obese.
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Our Africa correspondent Mayoni Jones went to meet some of those trying to turn the tide by improving child nutrition.
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Teaching kids about health, one plate at a time.
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The school in Johannesburg has banned sweets and processed food from its campus.
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All the meals it serves are vegetarian,
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with the occasional fish dish.
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So today on the menu it's kitchari,
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which is a mix of dal and rice with tomato chutney, halloumi and salad.
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The parents of the students here have been asked only to bring fruit,
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vegetables and homemade food for their kids to eat.
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Yeah, this is delicious.
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That's great.
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The school management says that despite some initial resistance,
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their food policy has led to helpful conversations around healthy eating.
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If all schools were to emulate our intention of being thoughtful
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and conscious of health and what children are putting into their bodies
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and what food is being sold to children like chocolates and sweets and sugary fizzy drinks,
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the health to the children would be served and the conversations
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that would emerge from the food policy would enormously benefit the children's health.
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According to the UN, rates of overweight and obese teenagers around the world have nearly tripled in the last two decades,
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and younger kids are not spared.
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The number of overweight children aged five to nine has gone from 69 to 147 million.
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This growth has been blamed on the spread of convenience food, including ultra-processed goods.
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Poor and middle-income countries have seen the biggest surge in overweight and obese children.
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But there are some differences.
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Where in poorer countries, these kids come from wealthier families who can pay for high-calorie foods.
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In middle-income economies like here in South Africa,
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more people can afford to go to fast-food restaurants.
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And there's been an explosion of them.
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For Fanta, it says 44.
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While studying food science, Sipo Setu noticed the healthy options were too expensive.
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Yeah.
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And another thing is the issue of portion sizes.
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Even if you were to get those items,
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the cheaper items for students,
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you find that the portion sizes are too big and they are turning us into or making us into over-eat, basically.
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South Africa introduced high taxes on sugary drinks in 2018,
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but it hasn't stopped the growing obesity rate in children here.
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22% of kids under five are overweight or obese,
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up from 13% in 2016.
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The UN says countries need to improve access to local nutritious food for children and teenagers.
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In the meantime, it's left to individuals and institutions to try and improve the health of future generations.
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Manny Jones, BBC News, Johannesburg.

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Why practice speaking with this video?

This video report from BBC News highlights a pressing global issue: childhood obesity. By practicing speaking with this content, English learners can gain insight into a relevant topic while enhancing their speaking skills. Engaging with real-world issues not only provides a rich context for vocabulary and expressions but also encourages learners to articulate their thoughts on important subjects. As you practice speaking, you will develop the ability to express opinions, describe statistics, and discuss health and nutrition, which are essential skills for both personal and professional conversations.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

In the transcript, several key grammatical structures and expressions emerge, making it a great resource for English learners:

  • Present Simple Tense: The speaker frequently uses this tense to convey facts, such as "there are now more obese or overweight children in the world." This construction is essential for presenting information clearly.
  • Passive Voice: Phrases like "has been blamed on the spread of convenience food" provide insight into how to emphasize the action rather than the subject. Learning to use passive structures can enhance your ability to discuss topics objectively.
  • Present Perfect Tense: The expression "has led to helpful conversations" illustrates how this tense can show a connection between past events and their relevance to the present.
  • Quantitative Phrases: The report includes phrases like "one in ten children globally" and "22% of kids under five." Familiarity with such expressions helps in discussing statistics effectively.

Common Pronunciation Traps

As you practice your English pronunciation by shadowing the speaker in the video, be aware of the following tricky words and sounds:

  • Obesity: Pay attention to the stress on the second syllable, making it ‘o-BE-si-ty.’
  • Nutrition: This word often trips up learners. Ensure that you pronounce all syllables clearly—‘nu-TRI-tion.’
  • Processed: The pronunciation should flow smoothly, with an emphasis on the first syllable: ‘PRO-cessed.’
  • Convenience: Note the speed of the word when spoken. It’s pronounced ‘con-VEE-nee-ence’ with the emphasis on the second syllable.

Practicing these words in the context of the video, you can improve your English pronunciation while discussing compelling topics. This method helps reinforce your learning, making it easier to communicate confidently in English as you learn English with YouTube.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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