Protecting children’s rights: why governments must be bold to tackle childhood obesity
Oliver T Mytton, Claire Fenton-Glynn, Emma Pawson Russell, M Viner Sally C Davies
“The UK Chief Medical Officer’s independent review of childhood obesity, Time to Solve Childhood Obesity, was published on Oct 10, 2019.
In England the prevalence of childhood obesity is too high; about 20% of children aged 10–11 years are obese(≥95th centile on the UK90 growth charts).
There is widespread public support for action with three “chapters” of an ambitious plan outlined by the UK Government.
- shops and many public places flooded with heavily promoted less-healthy food options;
- advertising and sponsorship that place less-healthy foods centre stage in young minds;
- urban streets dominated by traffic, with too few opportunities to walk to school, to ride a bicycle, or simply to play and explore.