Child health strategies ‘too focused on weight management’, experts warn
Joe Lepper
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
Children’s health strategies are too focused on weight loss and should instead consider the wider health needs of families, according to a report by medical and children’s services experts.
Their report wants to see the focus of strategies move away from being “crudely fixated on weight management” and instead promote family-wide positive health.
This needs to include better promotion of physical exercise as well as improving the diet of children and adults together.
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“Rather than concentrating on a ‘children’s diet’ as opposed to an ‘adult diet’, a ‘family first’ approach should be advocated", states the report by the Children’s Alliance group of experts.
“Children who observe their other family members taking a healthy attitude towards food and drink will be more likely to follow suit in their own later lives,” it adds.
More than 40 children’s health specialists have contributed to the report, including University of Winchester senior fellow Dr Vicky Randall, who is an expert on physical education.
She said: “For far too long now the area of children’s physical health has been preoccupied, almost exclusively, on weight management and addressing rising levels of obesity.
“The reality: not only have we failed to make any headway in these areas we have done so at the expense of other equally pressing health agendas.”
Children’s Alliance honorary president Frances D’Souza called on ministers to bring in “effective co-ordinated measures” to improve children’s health rather than “yet more ineffective measures narrowly focused on ‘fighting the flab’ by calorie counting and step counting.”
We are very pleased to announce that the Children’s Alliance 2nd of four Reports in regard to the health and wellbeing of our Children is launched today – PHYSICAL HEALTH AND YOUNG PEOPLE.https://t.co/BtP9pemNsk
— Children's Alliance (@Ch1stAlliance) December 15, 2021
PLEASE SHARE WIDELY. #cabinetminister4children pic.twitter.com/9z4G3n19QU
The report also calls for the appointment of a cabinet minister for children to coordinate support for young people across Whitehall.
Action to improve children’s health needs to start earlier, it adds, with advice on babies' movement and physical activity “routinely offered” and signposted by health professionals.
Among recommendations around promoting physical activity is for cycling to be a statutory national curriculum requirement for primary school children.
Equitable focus on investment and promotion of sport also needs to take place, says the Alliance. This should ensure boys and girls are equally encouraged to take part in physical activity.
Public funding to promote sporting opportunities needs to be reviewed to ensure it is focused on girls and boys, adds the report.
The Children’s Alliance has been launched by the charity Water Babies to boost lobbying around health and wellbeing issues.
Its report on the physical health of children is the Alliance’s second report, with the first released in October and focusing on early years.
