Children from poorer areas have poorer diet, finds report

Published on Wednesday 21 January 2009 21:30

CHILDREN from deprived areas eat more junk food and are less likely to eat fruit and vegetables and take exercise, research revealed yesterday.

The Growing Up In Scotland report, commissioned by the Scottish Government in 2003, found 41 per cent of four-year-olds in poorer areas had eaten a takeaway in the past week, compared with 23 per cent of children in affluent areas.

They were also less likely to eat four or more types of fruit and vegetables a day and more likely to eat sugary snacks and drinks.

The research, involving 5,000 children, found 29 per cent of children with low levels of physical activity lived in the most deprived areas, compared to 14 per cent from the richest.

Children's minister Adam Ingram said: "Scotland's future depends on its young people, yet for too many their life chances are determined early on by factors beyond their control."