Exercising can help children and adults with a range of health problems, a health charity has said.
The Children’s Health Network said the health of babies and young people was not as good as that of adults but there were many ways in which exercise could help them.
The charity said that while the UK had an obesity crisis, in terms of the number of children with Type 2 diabetes, the UK was on track to beat Australia in terms and live longer.
“The most common way in which people with Type 1 diabetes can live longer is through exercise,” the charity’s chief executive, Dr Stephen White, said.
“We’re actually at a point where exercise has become a vital part of our everyday lives for many of our young people.”
Our advice to parents and carers is to encourage their children to go for a brisk walk, run or cycle, and to get some exercise.
“The charity works with schools and local authorities to raise awareness of the importance of exercise for children.
Dr White said that the UK’s overall obesity rate had fallen from 35 per cent in 2007 to 24 per cent this year.
He said the UK could achieve a healthier, more active society if it took its child obesity epidemic seriously.”
It is not just about reducing obesity, but it is also about addressing childhood obesity,” Dr White said.
Ahead of the G20 summit in Brisbane on Monday, Dr White urged the international community to help tackle the obesity crisis by raising awareness of healthy eating and exercise.”
If we are serious about preventing childhood obesity, we need to be looking at these childhood obesity epidemics as a priority for public health, rather than focusing on a few very large food and beverage companies,” he said.ABC/wires