Scottish children are among the most overweight
in the world thanks to a diet of junk food and a couch
potato lifestyle, health experts said, warning of possible
severe health problems in later life.
Official statistics revealed a third of Scots children
were classed overweight before they hit their teens, that
one in five was obese and that more than one in 10 was
rated as severely obese.
"Twenty percent of children classed as obese puts Scotland
pretty much in the same league as the United States,"
said Neville Rigby of the International Obesity Taskforce,
an independent body that brings together obesity experts.
"We do see high rates of obesity in other countries,
especially southern Europe, but what you see in Scotland
is a worrying trend," Rigby, the taskforce's director
for public affairs stated.
The figures from Scottish Health Statistics showed that
among Scottish children born in 2001, 20.7 percent were
overweight by the time they were 3-1/2 years old.
While there was no one factor which causes childhood
obesity the twin demons of poor diet and lack of exercise
are considered key problems.
"Obesity often tracks deprivation. There is a correlation
between low income and poor food choices," said Dr Beckie
Lang, a public health nutritionist at Britain's Association
for the Study of Obesity.
"There is a problem of filling up on cheap, poor quality
food."
Levels of obesity in Scottish children rose over the
last five years and have significantly surpassed levels
anticipated 15 years ago when it was expected that 15
percent would be overweight, 5 percent obese and just
2 percent severely obese.
OTHER HEALTH PROBLEMS.
Scotland has sometimes been dubbed "the sick man of Europe"
for a health record which does not compare favorably with
other European countries.
"If you look at heart disease and cancer rates, Scotland
has not fared as well as other people," Dr Toni Steer,
a nutritionist at the Medical Research Council (MRC) stated.
The report warned that being overweight or obese during
childhood could lead to physical and mental health problems
in later life, such as heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis,
back pain, low self-esteem and depression.
Rigby said more work needs to be done.
"The main issue is diet. We need children to be eating
better quality food and we need to encourage people to
move around more on bikes and on foot."
He said it was not helpful that children faced a "barrage"
of advertising and marketing from the fast-food industry.
