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Kids need ‘Jamie Oliver of the gym’
A health expert has called for a ‘Jamie Oliver of the gym’ to tackle the problem of childhood obesity.
Developed countries must take action and promote exercise among school pupils to halt the growing number of overweight children, said Colin Boreham, Professor of Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Ulster, at a World Health Organisation (WHO) symposium.
Speaking at the conference in Kobe, Japan, he said: “The rising levels of childhood obesity are possibly the most pressing public health concern in developed countries like the UK and USA.
“If current trends continue, the majority of children aged 10 to15 are predicted to be overweight. That cannot be allowed to happen.”
He said the rise in childhood obesity was the result of a number of lifestyle factors, including the popularity of indoor activities such as computer games instead of traditional outdoor pursuits, and the rise in the consumption of processed foods.
Boreham claims that schools are ideally placed to instigate positive changes.
“What we need is an integrated approach that links many aspects of child behaviour both inside and outside the school.
“We have to look to legislation; we have to change the school curriculum and the school environment. We need an approach that looks at physical activity, even including the school transportation programme.
“Almost overnight, Jamie Oliver was responsible for raising awareness about the quality of school meals, to the extent where physical action became a political imperative. If we have to have a Jamie Oliver for physical education as well, then so be it.”
A former Olympic athlete, Professor Boreham was selected as a world expert by the WHO, and asked to contribute his expertise to a conference of global analysts who are to draw up a set of guidelines for combating childhood obesity.