Parental fears for child safety fuel country's obesity crisis

Published on 02/03/2009 23:30

PARENTS' fears about letting their children out to play are fuelling Britain's epidemic of child obesity, researchers said yesterday.

In a poll of more than 2,000 parents, about three-quarters

said their feeling that outdoor play was unsafe compounded the problem.

Dr Richard Woolfson, a child psychologist, said: "Whereas energetic free-play outdoors used to be the typical activity in childhood, such opportunities are rare now, largely because of parental fears about safety.

"This reduction in physical movement contributes to the increase in childhood obesity.

"All parents need do is to arrange for their child to have a few more minutes' exercise a day – whether walking to school, engaging in supervised outdoor play, taking a swimming class or cycling."