Healthier and happier than ever – youth of Scotland

Published on Thursday 17 April 2008 22:18

CHILDREN in Scotland have never had it so good, according to the latest survey of the nation's youth.

The report dispels the myth that the younger generation are sitting idle and bingeing on a diet of television, junk food and drugs as, in fact, children in Scotland today are healthier and happier than ever.

The survey, the most comprehensive picture of our children's health for several years, reveals that they are eating more fruit and vegetables and fewer crisps and sweets, spending less time in front of the TV and more time taking part in physical activity.

It added that youngsters were far healthier in 2006, when the research was gathered, compared to 1990.

Professor Candace Currie, one of the authors of The Health Behaviours in School-aged Children (HBSC) Scotland report, which was carried out by Edinburgh University for NHS Scotland, said it would allow experts to target interventions on obesity and ill health.

She said there were positive trends, but issues such as under-age drinking and smoking remained resistant to change.

Researchers surveyed 6,400 children aged 11, 13 and 15 across Scotland. They found more boys than girls got the recommended hour of physical activity a day at 29 per cent compared to 16 per cent.

Overall 23 per cent were active for an hour a day compared with 19 per cent in 2002, when the previous survey took place.

Children are also watching less television, with just 70 per cent watching two or more hours daily mid-week compared with 75 per cent in 2002.

The research also showed 40 per cent of the age group ate fruit compared with about 34 per cent in 2002, and 38 per cent ate vegetables daily compared to 33 per cent in 2002.

And the proportion of junk food eaten has significantly dropped, with only 34 per cent eating sweets compared with 45 per cent in 2002, 28 per cent eating crisps daily compared with 40 per cent in 2002 and 13 per cent having chips every day compared with 19 per cent.

However, there was little difference in alcohol consumption since 2002, although rates were still higher than in 1990.

Some 13 per cent of girls smoked compared to 10 per cent of boys, while 48 per cent of 15-year-old girls and 43 per cent of 15-year-old boys had been drunk at least twice.

It also revealed 30 per cent of 15-year-old boys had sex compared with 34 per cent of girls.

Professor Brian Ratcliffe, from the school of life sciences at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, said: "This indicates a lot of the initiatives taken by local authorities and central government are beginning to have an impact.

"New initiatives being put into place for the coming years should take this even further.

"Maureen Watt, schools minister, described the report as encouraging but acknowledged there was more work to do.