'Obesity epidemic' hits 66% of men

Published on Saturday 28 November 2009 19:12

SCOTLAND is facing an "obesity epidemic" according to figures released yesterday, which show two-thirds of men and more than half of women are overweight.

Conservative MSP Jackson Carlaw said the "appalling" statistics disclosed the scale of "Scotland's obesity epidemic".

The figures, from 2008, reveal 66.3 per cent of men aged 16 to 64 and 59.6 per cent of women in the same age range were overweight. Details for children aged between two and 15 showed that more than one-third of boys and one-quarter of girls weighed too much, with 36.1 per cent of young males and 26.9 per cent of young females classed as overweight.

The facts were disclosed by Public Health Minister Shona Robison in answer to parliamentary questions from the Tories.

Carlaw, the Conservative public health spokesman, said: "This problem did not appear overnight, nor will it disappear overnight. We need a complete change of culture."

He called for more child health visitors to help tackle the problem, stating: "Scottish Conservatives have proposed a standard universal health visiting service for all families and children up to the age of seven, which would help provide families with key nutritional advice during those crucial early years."

Carlaw added: "Scotland needs a health service that encourages a greater degree of personal responsibility than the one we have at present. More health visitors are an ideal way of helping address that challenge."

Robison said the Scottish Government recognised obesity was an increasing problem that posed a serious threat to the nation's health.

She added: "This is why we are making tackling the problem a high priority. We have a range of initiatives under way to support those who are overweight and obese and to help people from becoming overweight in the first place."

Robison said ministers were investing 56 million in healthy eating and active living initiatives, added that the Government's three-year plan set out to improve diet, boost physical activity and tackle obesity.