Early bird
tickets
available now!
The Leisure Media Company Ltd
The Leisure Media Company Ltd
The Leisure Media Company Ltd
Leisure Opportunities
Job search
Job Search
see all jobs
Latest job opportunities
Bolton Arena
£Competitive + pension + benefits
Bolton, Greater Manchester
Heritage Great Britain
c£70,000 + benefits + relocation support
Snowdonia, North Wales
London South Bank University
£31,396 to £34,557, inclusive of £4,952 London Weighting
Southwark Campus
Everyone Active
Competitive rates of pay
South Oxhey Leisure Centre, Watford
East Devon District Council
£41,418 - £48,474pa + local govt pension + benefits
Honiton, Devon

Scrap school ‘fat letters’ and boost youth activity, urge health experts

Job opportunities
Bolton Arena
£Competitive + pension + benefits
location: Bolton, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom
more jobs

Health experts are calling on the government to scrap the so-called ‘fat letters’ posted to parents in England to tell them if their child is overweight and instead offer more guidance for fostering healthy lifestyles.

The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) wants the government to ditch the crude letters and use its forthcoming childhood obesity strategy – a joint project between Public Health England, the Department of Health and the Department for Education – to bring in measures such as mandatory hour a day of ‘fun and play’ in primary schools to increase activity levels. It is also calling for parents who receive ‘fat letters’ to instead be telephoned with offers for their children to gain access to after school activity clubs to incentivise better dietary and exercise habits.

The calls to action appear in a new RSPH position paper Tackling the UK’s childhood obesity epidemic, published today (10 November). The report follows recent offerings such as ukactive’s Blueprint for an Active Britain and Public Health England’s What Works in Schools and Colleges to Increase Physical Activity? in calling for physical activity to play a far more prominent role in the school day. Currently, only 21 per cent of boys and 16 per cent of girls aged 5-15 years old meet the recommended guidelines of at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity every day – with participation figures continuing to fall.

“It is unacceptable that one in five children leave primary school classed as obese and we must all pull together to reverse this worrying trend,” said the CEO of RSPH, Shirley Cramer.

“We hope the government’s forthcoming obesity strategy will include many of our suggestions for action at all levels, particularly around the promotion of junk food to children, encouraging reformulation of food and drink products, particularly around sugar content, and increasing activity levels among children.”

Cramer added that parents need to be given additional support and receive more engaging dialogue so that they can help to promote healthy lifestyles for their children.

Meanwhile, Dean Horridge, founder and CEO of Fit For Sport and chair of ukactive Kids, said the government should do away with BMI as a measure of health and instead look more closely at activity levels.

"The Child Measurement Programme has never been an effective way to tackle obesity: Body Mass Index can often give a flawed result and gives no real indication of a child's health or fitness,” said Horridge.

"Rather than accusatory letters, providing far better support and advice around how to enjoy a healthy, active lifestyle as a family could have a far greater impact on tackling childhood obesity and inactivity, which too often go hand in hand."

Sign up for FREE ezines & magazines
Health experts are calling on the government to scrap the so-called ‘fat letters’ posted to parents in England to tell them if their child is overweight and instead offer more guidance for fostering healthy lifestyles.
SAR,HAF,FIT,IND,ACD,RES,PUB
818229_543192.jpg

More News

1 - 15 of 68,040
19 Jul 2024
Auberge Resorts Collection will launch its first UK property and destination spa in Mayfair, London, in 2025, following a deal with UK-based global private investment ... More
19 Jul 2024
Urban Gym Group CEO Neil Randall talks in this month’s HCM about how being passed over for promotion taught him the resilience to power through ... More
19 Jul 2024
A large new mineral springs destination has launched in Texas, inspired by some of the world’s most famous hot springs – such as Jordan’s Dead ... More
18 Jul 2024
Boxing and strength franchise UBX has taken a step closer to realising its ambitions to be the largest boxing provider in the Middle East by ... More
18 Jul 2024
Fitness International has announced the acquisition of XSport Fitness, adding to its portfolio of brands, which includes LA Fitness, Esporta Fitness, City Sports Club and ... More
18 Jul 2024
A thought-provoking, US national probability study, The WELLSurvey™, has revealed that the majority of Americans now include several health and wellness practices in their everyday ... More
Life Fitness (UK) Ltd
Life Fitness (UK) Ltd
17 Jul 2024
Community Leisure UK (CLUK) and The Richmond Group of Charities have joined forces to support charitable trusts and social enterprises in strengthening their programmes for ... More
18 Jul 2024
US integrative wellness brand The Well has named Ariella Willoughby as its new VP of operations, aiming to drive significant growth and operational success across ... More
17 Jul 2024
Mental Health Swims has been awarded almost £18,000 of lottery money to extend its mission to support mental health through swimming. The community organisation was ... More
16 Jul 2024
Employee wellness app GoJoe has teamed up with Les Mills for a major new content offering, giving access to hundreds of new workouts. The partnership ... More
16 Jul 2024
Former footballer, David Beckham, has become a strategic investor in health sciences company, Prenetics, which pioneers scientific advancements in health. The partners have co-founded a ... More
16 Jul 2024
Middleton Enterprises, a UK-based family investment office, has committed £1.6 million (US$2.1 million, €1.9 million) in funding to the Light Centre – a network of ... More
16 Jul 2024
Gymbox has partnered with Haringey Council and not-for-profit organisation, Raza Sana, to give opportunities to those living in disadvantaged communities. Yesterday (15 July) saw the ... More
15 Jul 2024
Rianna Riego, a seasoned professional in the wellness and spa industry, has been appointed director of global business development at Seed to Skin Tuscany, a ... More
15 Jul 2024
In a bid to get girls more active, Nuffield Health has launched a campaign, Move Together, encouraging parents to exercise with their daughters. Nuffield Health ... More
1 - 15 of 68,040
The Leisure Media Company Ltd
The Leisure Media Company Ltd