Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Children's obesity rises in Scotland, we test the mind; we need to test the body, personal fitness plans need to be rolled out across Scotland














Dear All

Obesity is a ticking time bomb in Scotland, and despite ‘health drives’ by Government the problem is growing.

The problem is that producing ‘paper and gimmicks’ may keep some people in a job but doesn’t work on the ground.

The solution therefore must be to bring forwards that work, the creation of a new culture is needed.

Fitness drives to get children involved and to take part in both competitive and leisure sport is sorely lacking.

Scotland needs to adopt the Australian model of after school sport, this means a new framework, resources and personnel for the 21st Century.

The rate of overweight and obese children in schools in Scotland has increased in the last year.

We have test for academic excellence but we should also consider physical excellence, we set the mental challenge why not the physical challenge?

If Government puts in place a plan to catch children young it will serve the child and society as a whole.

Measurements of Primary 1 pupils found that 20.4 per cent were classed as overweight in 2009/10, with 8.2 per cent of these obese and 4.1 per cent severely obese.

And we have to include parents too.Opposition parties are calling for more effort to tackle weight problems in young children in Scotland and the health issues they can cause.

Regardless who is in power, the problem is that no one has produced an effective remedy at Holyrood ever.

They may understand the problem but not the solution, the solution involved serious work. Being overweight was more common in deprived areas, simply put education isn’t enough; you have to have an encompassing strategy.

That is why there has been so much failure in the past.

Scottish Labour sport spokesman Bill Butler said:

"All of us should be deeply concerned about Scotland's problem with obesity”.

But who is going to have the brains to install a new culture?

A real see change is required, new vision, new radical thought, unfortunately ‘moving the sweeties from the checkout areas of supermarkets’ isn’t enough and claims that the trend remains positive are simply delusional ignorance of the subject matter.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

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