This entry was posted on Friday, May 23rd, 2014at 12:11 pm by zoe.leahy@activenation.org.uk

Help Tackle Child Obesity By Walking To School!

‘It’s a national scandal that only 47 per cent of today’s primary school children walk to school’, according to a leading charity.

With 1 in 3 children leaving primary school either overweight or obese – it’s time for something to change! As part of their national Walk To School Week, Living Streets is calling on the government to make the walk to school safer and easier for parents and their children.

Currently, 23 per cent of cars on the road at peak times are on the school run and 19 per cent of school journeys under a mile are being driven – a distance that could be walked in less than 20 minutes.

Walking is a great way to get active and evidence also shows that children who walk to school are more alert and ready to learn than those who are driven. International research also shows that physically active children do better in tests and achieve better grades.

Right now 1 in 5 children in reception classes are overweight or obese and this rises to 1 in 3 children in Year 6.

Professor John Ashton is president of the UK Faculty of Public Health. He said: “One of the things we really should be doing is stopping the drop-off outside the school gates. Instead, we should have park and stride points, say 10 minutes walk away, so at least our children get some daily physical activity.”

Living Streets is already working with schools and local authorities across the country to give pupils priority around the school gates and is calling for the government to lay out a clear school travel plan coordinated between the Department of Health, Department for Transport and the Department for Education.

Living Streets’ Chief Executive, Tony Armstrong, said: “We’re calling on the government to develop a coherent action plan for sustainable school travel which would enable our children to walk to school safely and easily.

“Over the next 10 years, pupil numbers are going to explode and without action now, our streets are going to grind to a halt and children’s health will be put at risk. Making our streets safer for children not only benefits their health today, but safeguards their wellbeing in the future.”

Being obese increases your risk of developing a number of serious and potentially life-threatening diseases such as type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, some types of cancer, stroke and depression. Our children deserve so much more – let’s get them active!

Small steps like walking to school can start kids off on the road to a healthier life. So do something Brilliant today, walk to school, visit Living Streets and see how you can help: http://www.livingstreets.org.uk/ or ask what activities your children can do the next time you visit an Active Nation venue!