Food & Health Alliance

Preventing Overweight and Obesity in Scotland: A Route Map Towards Healthy Weight

This document supports a compelling case for action and presents a clear Route Map to prevent overweight and obesity in Scotland.

Scotland's Obesity Strategy:

Agreed by Cabinet and COSLA's Leaders Group, The Route Map is aimed at decision-makers in central and local government, who can influence and enable the range and scale of actions required to address Scotland's growing obesity epidemic. The Route Map calls for all sectors to work together in order to make the necessary changes that can impact on the way the people of Scotland lead their lives and states the need to develop a public health campaign, to raise the nation's consciousness about the need for change.

Obesity Levels in Scotland:

Scotland has one of the highest levels of obesity in the world with over a million adults and over 150,000 children obese. This level of obesity is predicted to worsen with adult obesity levels reaching over 40% by 2030. Overweight and obesity brings with it a risk of disease and a cost to society that will directly impact on our ability to achieve sustainable economic growth. This situation is avoidable.

Overweight and obesity cannot be tackled by just relying on individuals to change their behaviour as the factors that contribute to gaining weight have been interwoven into the very fabric of our lifestyles to such an extent that weight gain is almost inevitable in today's society.

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When was this published?

22/02/2010

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Source

http://www.scotland.gov.uk

Look for similar items by category

Type > policy and implementation > policy
Coverage > Scotland
Subject > weight > unhealthy weight > overweight > obesity
Subject > weight > unhealthy weight > overweight
Subject > weight > healthy weight
Subject > weight > unhealthy weight
Subject > physical activity > activity levels > not active enough
Subject > diet
PublicationDate > 2010

Comments

Zoltan Varga 12/03/2010
As we know Scotland tops the league for obesity, physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol, etc, and despite some great interventions girls participation rates are in decline. So what do we do? We make a Miss Scotland our fitness ambassador (teenage girls and image issues anyone?) and in the same week our biggest Sporting National Governing Body announces a new partnership with MARS, to add to existing ones with Tennents and MacDonalds. As a country are we incapable of walking the walk because this seems to me another example of a lack of joined up thinking.

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Sue 13/07/2010
Yes, and now McDonalds are in charge of volunteer recruitment for the Olympics....

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