Are UK children getting slimmer?

Friday March 5th, 2010

The British government should not be claiming success in the fight against childhood obesity, campaigners said yesterday.

A government report said yesterday it was "making good progress" but admitted there was more to do - two years since ministers set out to reverse the rising trend of childhood obesity.

The report says levels of childhood obesity are their lowest since 2001.

In 2008, some 13.9 per cent of children were said to be obese - compared with 17.3 per cent in 2005.

Ministers say the government's Change4Life programme has had a big impact in many communities - encouraging families to improve diet and take exercise.

The report says school meals are more healthy and shoppers seek out more healthy food in supermarkets.

And yesterday a new initiative was launched, pledging to deploy specially trained coaches to help children become more active. Under the new programme, children will be enrolled into activities such as break-dancing, martial arts, free running and cheer-leading.

But the British Heart Foundation said the government could do more to tackle poor diet by introducing simple food labelling and banning junk food advertising on television before 9pm.

Chief executive Peter Hollins said: "Unfortunately childhood obesity levels in England remain far too high and it is too early to trumpet success when the government still hasn't taken the steps it needs to really tackle this problem.

"The report recognises that consumers need the right information to help them identify healthier choices - yet ministers have been sitting on their hands. They need to stop shilly-shallying around and bring in a single front-of-pack food labelling scheme without further dithering."

Public health minister Gillian Merron said: "Everyone has a role to play in tackling obesity, and the strategy has been crucial in bringing everyone together.

"It's about creating an environment that promotes healthy lifestyles and providing more opportunities for people to be active."

She added: "Looking forward, we're going to broaden our focus to adult obesity and continue to build on our partnerships with charities, industry and across government to work together to achieve our shared ambition - supporting everyone to maintain a healthy weight and live healthier lives."

Tags: Child Health | Diet & Food | Fitness | UK News

Printer friendly page