Let’s not beat about the bush – there’s a childhood obesity crisis in the UK and it’s not getting any better. More than one in three children are now leaving primary school overweight or obese and the problem is worse for those living in deprivation.
Obesity not only costs the NHS £6.1 Billion – yes, BILLION – per year, it has real, drastic effects on children’s life chances. The hard fact is that obese children are far more likely to suffer from serious disease into adulthood, and to die prematurely. As the government itself says: “The health and well-being of our children critically determines their opportunities in life. Today, nothing threatens that more than childhood obesity.”
Clearly something needs to change and the government recognises this, albeit belatedly, having just published ‘Chapter 2’ of its Childhood Obesity Strategy. The question is, what needs to change and are they getting it right?
The strategy – like most media discussion about this topic – is heavily focussed on food. We know that diet is part of the picture and it is right that food companies are targeted, but obesity is actually caused by an “energy imbalance” in many children’s lives – they are simply consuming more calories than they are burning off. Physical activity is the other side of the coin and the strategy does recognise that, but the solutions offered seem to misunderstand both children and the underlying root of the problem.
Only 1 in 5 children in the UK gets the minimum recommended 1hr a day of physical activity. That means 80% are not getting this. Why? Are they too lazy? Not getting enough PE at school? Not interested in sport? Too screen-addicted?? Or could it be that they lack the opportunity for everyday physical activity – walking, cycling, playing out – most children had a generation ago as part of their normal lives? As anyone who has spent any time with children knows, they like to move! Teachers know this more than anyone and spend half their lives trying to keep them to sit still. In particular, they like to play and move freely, rather than being told to do star jumps, run around a playground or queue up for their turn to kick a goal.
But in order to do this, they need an environment that makes it possible. They do not have the same “choices” as adults and this includes the ability to be active. Specifically, in order to walk, cycle and play out, children need safer streets, and this is where the government’s strategy is lacking. It does acknowledge the existence of “an environment that makes it harder for children and their families to make healthy choices” and even mentions the need to consider “the way our towns and cities are designed to ensure greater active travel or safe physical activity”. But there are no proposals for how this might happen and a reluctance to face the big issue – the streets and neighbourhoods where children live do not allow them to be as active as they would like to be, because they are dominated by cars.
We already know that when you close a street to cars and open it for play, children are up to 5 times more active. We also know that the main reason parents are reluctant to let their children walk or cycle independently is concern about the very real danger from traffic. And yet still the focus seems to be on training children to keep themselves safe and “promoting” walking and cycling, rather than tackling the source of the problem. It’s great that there is going to be more money for cycle training in schools – but of limited value without also committing to make streets safer. However well trained, no parent wants to send their child cycling off into busy, dangerous roads.
The government says this is the “start of a conversation”. We hope that parents will get involved in that conversation, letting the government know what their children need in order to be able to move around freely and independently. It will take a lot of political will and investment to make our streets and neighbourhoods safe for children to walk, to cycle and play out but as the government itself says, “the scale of action we are seeking is justified by the profound health effects of childhood obesity”. Let’s hope they now look beyond limiting sugar and promoting sport and take bold action to give children what they really need: safe space on their doorstep.
Hebu tusipige juu ya kichaka kuna mgogoro wa uzani wa watoto nchini Uingereza na si kupata bora yoyote. Zaidi ya mtoto mmoja kati ya watatu sasa anaondoka shule ya msingi na uzito wa ziada au uzito na tatizo ni mbaya zaidi kwa wale wanaoishi katika ukosefu. Uzito wa mwili sio tu gharama NHS £ 6.1 bilioni - ndiyo, bilioni - kwa mwaka, ina athari halisi, kali juu ya nafasi za maisha ya watoto. Ukweli ni kwamba watoto wanene wana uwezekano mkubwa zaidi wa kupatwa na magonjwa mazito wanapokuwa watu wazima, na kufa kabla ya wakati. Kama serikali yenyewe inavyosema: <unk> Afya na ustawi wa watoto wetu huamua kwa kiasi kikubwa fursa zao maishani. """Hakuna kitu kinachotishia hali hiyo kuliko uzalishaji wa mafuta ya watoto,"" alisema, ""Ni wazi kwamba kuna kitu kinachohitaji kubadilika na serikali inatambua hili, ingawa ni kwa kuchelewa, baada ya kuchapisha tu Sura ya 2 ya Mkakati wake wa Uzalishaji wa Mafuta ya Watoto.""" Swali ni, ni nini kinachohitaji kubadilika na je, wanafanya hivyo kwa usahihi? Mkakati - kama majadiliano mengi ya vyombo vya habari juu ya mada hii - ni sana ililenga juu ya chakula. "Tunajua kwamba chakula ni sehemu ya picha na ni haki kwamba makampuni ya chakula ni walengwa, lakini fetma ni kweli unasababishwa na ""nishati usawa"" katika maisha ya watoto wengi, wao ni tu kutumia kalori zaidi kuliko wao ni kuchoma mbali." "Utendaji wa kimwili ni upande mwingine wa sarafu na mkakati huo unatambua hilo, lakini suluhisho zinazotolewa zinaonekana kuwa zinaelewa vibaya watoto na chanzo cha tatizo hilo. """ Ni mtoto mmoja tu kati ya watano nchini Uingereza anayepata kiwango cha chini cha saa moja ya mazoezi ya mwili kwa siku. Hii inamaanisha kwamba 80% ya watu hawajui. Kwa nini? Je, wao ni wavivu sana? Je, hufanyi mazoezi ya kutosha shuleni? Hupendezwi na michezo? Ni mraibu wa skrini? Au inaweza kuwa kwamba wanakosa fursa ya shughuli za kila siku za kimwili - kutembea, kuendesha baiskeli, kucheza nje - ambazo watoto wengi walikuwa nazo kizazi kimoja iliyopita kama sehemu ya maisha yao ya kawaida? Kama mtu yeyote ambaye ametumia wakati wowote pamoja na watoto anavyojua, wao hupenda kusonga! Walimu wanajua hili zaidi ya mtu yeyote na hutumia nusu ya maisha yao kujaribu kuwafanya waketi kimya. Wao hupenda kucheza na kusonga kwa uhuru, badala ya kuambiwa kufanya kuruka nyota, kukimbia kuzunguka uwanja wa michezo au foleni kwa zamu yao kupiga bao. Lakini ili kufanya hivyo, wanahitaji mazingira yanayowezesha kufanya hivyo. Wao hawana sawa <unk> uchaguzi <unk> kama watu wazima na hii ni pamoja na uwezo wa kuwa hai. "Hata hivyo, kwa watoto wanaotembea, kuendesha baiskeli na kucheza nje, wanahitaji barabara salama, na hapa ndipo mkakati wa serikali unapokosa.""" "Imethibitisha kuwa kuna "" mazingira ambayo hufanya iwe vigumu kwa watoto na familia zao kufanya chaguo la afya "" na hata inataja haja ya kuzingatia "" jinsi miji yetu na miji imebuniwa kuhakikisha kusafiri zaidi au shughuli salama ya mwili. """ Lakini hakuna mapendekezo ya jinsi hii inaweza kutokea na kutokubali kukabiliana na suala kubwa - barabara na vitongoji ambapo watoto wanaishi hawawaruhusu kuwa hai kama wangependa kuwa, kwa sababu wao ni kutawaliwa na magari. Kwa mfano, ikiwa barabara imefungwa kwa magari na kufunguliwa kwa ajili ya michezo, watoto wanafanya kazi mara tano zaidi. "Tunajua pia kwamba sababu kuu kwa nini wazazi wanakataa kuwaacha watoto wao kutembea au kuendesha baiskeli kwa kujitegemea ni wasiwasi juu ya hatari halisi kutoka kwa trafiki. """ Na bado inaonekana kuwa lengo ni kuwafundisha watoto kujihifadhi salama na "kuendeleza" kutembea na kuendesha baiskeli, badala ya kushughulikia chanzo cha tatizo hilo. Ni nzuri kwamba kutakuwa na fedha zaidi kwa ajili ya mafunzo ya baiskeli katika shule <unk> lakini ya thamani ndogo bila pia kujitolea kufanya barabara salama zaidi. Hata akizoezwa vizuri kadiri gani, hakuna mzazi atakayetaka kumpeleka mtoto wake kuendesha baiskeli kwenye barabara zenye shughuli nyingi na hatari. Serikali inasema hii ni "mwanzo wa mazungumzo". """Tunatumaini wazazi watajihusisha katika mazungumzo hayo, na kuwajulisha serikali kile watoto wao wanahitaji ili waweze kusafiri kwa uhuru na kujitegemea." "Itachukua nia nyingi za kisiasa na uwekezaji kufanya barabara zetu na vitongoji salama kwa watoto kutembea, kuendesha baiskeli na kucheza nje, lakini kama serikali yenyewe inasema, ""kiwango cha hatua tunachotafuta kinastahili na athari kubwa za afya za uzalishaji wa mafuta ya watoto.""" Hebu tutegemee kwamba sasa wataangalia zaidi ya kupunguza sukari na kukuza michezo na kuchukua hatua ya ujasiri kutoa watoto kile wanachohitaji kweli: nafasi salama mlangoni mwao.