There has been a sharp increase in the number of children suffering with obesity during the pandemic.
According to data published by the NHS, 1 in 4 children in the UK aged 10 and 11 are obese.
Those in deprived areas are twice as likely to be overweight than those living in wealthier neighbourhoods, figures revealed.
Re-introducing Change4Life?
Previously, the government had introduced the “Change4Life ” scheme which was funded by the government to promote healthier living.
The scheme specifically targeted 400,000 children and their families by providing food-related activities and exercise packages to target weight loss and healthy eating.
Government research found 1 million mothers claimed to have made changes to their children’s behaviour because of the programme.
Health professionals requested the launching of a similar scheme to tackle the new rise in obesity figures amongst children in order to meet the governments aim to of halving obesity figures by 2030.
Anna Heaton, a retired nurse from Leeds, insisted that lifestyle change was an individual’s responsibility and did not believe a government scheme would help.
‘They know it’s bad‘
She said, “people come to me and say they want to lose weight. I’d give them a healthy eating plan and after two weeks they’d just go back to their bad eating habits.
“You are giving them information but it’s a choice; it’s like stopping smoking. They know it’s bad. It’s affecting them but do they want to stop it, no.
“On the other hand, you wonder if someone attempted to stop such a huge part of my lifestyle, would I be able to do it? I don’t think so.”
A decrease in figures around 2013 to 2015 where “Change4Life” was implemented in schools suggests success in the scheme.
You must be logged in to post a comment.