Tackling obesity with healthy lifestyles task force | Alex Brown

There is currently an obesity crisis in the UK. This is clarified in the sobering news of the NHS belief that only “47% of children and young people are meeting the current physical activity guidelines. This is a worrying statistic. It is made worse when when one begins to look at how many children and young people are considered obese; and it becomes more stark with the realization that 20% of Year 6 children are classified as obese;  and that number doubling in the most deprived areas of the UK.

  Many have criticized the Prime Minister for his  ‘nanny state’ interference into what is a parent’s realm of jurisdiction – as the first educators and carers of their children – but what these figures illustrate is that not only is Britain growing wider at an alarming rate, but that the cost are becoming astronomical, with some estimates to be around £4.2 billion a year with that rising to £10 billion by 2050 without action. The key to solving this issue lay in reasonable government intervention and specific educational policies that shift the narrative on obesity and work to exercise our way out of this crisis.

Since the advent of the 21st Century fast-food has dominated the restaurant industry which  in the UK was worth £15 billion 2018.  Alongside this, a culture of laziness has become predominant within households because of the ease of both the ready meal and fast food. These two things have led to swathes of parents becoming dependent on convenience food whilst simultaneously loosing the skills to cook and enjoy fresh food at a rapid rate.

But since 2010, successive governments have attempted to curb the consumption of unhealthy foods such as with age restrictions on energy drinks and the introduction of the sugar tax. These policies broadly try to tackle the issue of constant marketing which has been shown to have a significant effect on parental and children’s choices. Income does also have an undeniable impact on the diet of many households, though to say that these same households are beholden to such a principle is perhaps insulting, and should be avoided.

The key to making Britain’s children healthier is found in encouraging a positive attitude towards exercise; and ensuring that this is integrated into the school curriculum of our young people. One example may be introducing the ‘Daily Mile’ exercise routine into PE lessons. This ‘Daily Mile’ would guarantee that children have had at least a mile of running a day which helps not only their weight and general fitness but hammers home this idea of a positive attitude towards exercise.

  Running a mile a day has been shown to have physical and mental benefits with the main ones being reductions in depression and losing weight. From my experience at school, many students do not have the so called ‘get up and go’ attitude necessary to voluntarily partake in exercise, and so if such exercise was integrated more effectively into their everyday lives, they may be more likely to take it up on a voluntary basis laying the path for even more physical activities and sports both in and out of school which will further reinforce the cycle and attitude necessary.

The challenging part of getting children healthier after getting them enthused about running and exercise generally, is tackling what can be a challenging home life for some. The tough reality is that some parents are uninterested in the physical appearance and fitness of their children and so are then uninterested in changing their dieting habits; whilst other try so hard to change their diets and their children’s but are prevented by income constraints or lack of culinary knowledge.

In order to encourage a change in lifestyle and attitude, government has to take a pro active lead from the front approach – and so seriously. It could do so by establishing a ‘Taskforce on Healthy Lifestyles’ which would provide both exercise and cooking information to parents and families across the country – whilst supporting schools in their Get Healthy endeavor.

Additionally, the government should actively seek to arrange high-profile celebrity cook involvement with these task forces and community hubs. This will allow for expert knowledge to be passed down to families and hopefully through the generations: creating entire families who are confident in eating well and keeping healthy.

Britain must recapture its Can-Do attitude and return to being a nation of doers. To enable this, we must take seriously the challenge posed by the obesity crisis. If we fail to act now, we will domestically and internationally be incapacitated to compete against nations which have strict regiments of citizen fitness. The government cannot be bystanders in this situation. For the future to be productive, it must be pro-active.

If you liked this article and want to help our organisation expand, please consider donating. Every little helps.