Obesity lessons

It appears to me that recent research suggests that obesity is an increasingly significant issue in our society.

Accounts even suggest that this condition is to be recognised as a “disability”. This seems to open doors to compensation and further opportunities for those “suffering” from this to bleed our health resources even more.

Apart from obesity as a clinical condition, is this not self-imposed?

What to me is even more alarming is that what appears to be a major issue is not acknowledged within our education system.

There appears to be real reticence in local authorities to recognise obesity as a problem 
and to begin to tackle this in schools.

While there exists a real need to balance this with the 
problems of anorexia, both these issues do not go away. However, rather than tackling the problems, local authorities appear to be burying their heads in the sand.

Is it not time to put in place a vigorous programme in schools to monitor Body Mass Index and consider the place of diet and exercise, thus raising the 
profile of physical education and activity, along with the 
need for a healthy diet, to ensure that youngsters are grounded in a lifestyle that “adds years to their lives” and “lives to their years”!

Norrie Bairner

Smithfield Loan

Alloa