So the world is currently in the grip of a crisis, a rather large one at that. Data from leading forums and Organisations have shown the dramatic rise in Childhood Obesity since 2013 and have equated what the future will hold for generations to come.
For me, it is clear to see the trends and the frightening prospect of our little isle challenging the real heavyweights of the world in terms of obesity goes to show that for many years we have been lacking the right education and the right leadership from our government who have sat back and been fed the ladles of coinage for ignoring the situation.
The way we educate children today about the foods we eat and grow is far more important than ever before. We live in a society that is split down the middle and as research from Leeds Beckett University show where there is high levels of deprivation there is a high saturation of fast food outlets and poor health. There is no evil genes at play, passed down through the generations of family members. It simply comes down to the postcode lottery.
In the area in which I live, we have high levels of Childhood obesity. In fact 10.4% of 4-5 year old children are classed as obese, which is high. But when we look at the data and see that for 10-11 year old's that figure is 19.8% the alarm bells need to be ringing. The evidence is there, the research is there, commitment and dedication to do anything about it, non existent.
Now please don't get me wrong, I have seen the work that is going on behind the scenes at organisations and the local authority and they're doing a great job, however we are still seeing the trends increase. I have a theory, as always!
In my opinion we are leaving out a vital part of society who can actually do something about this crisis and that is the forgotten members of society, those who are seen as a statistic rather than a human-being, those who hold the key for change. That is the young people themselves. For many years children and youngsters have been told what is available for them, often made in a boardroom by adults who look at costings and what is easily accessible and still manage to choose to hard route. Hard to believe but true.
In September 2015 I looked at the youth provision within my town and straight away I could see the problem, the activities on offer where not attractive enough to entice children and this was backed up by talking to many youngsters who said they no longer wanted to go somewhere to play pool or play on the xbox, they wanted something new and exciting to be part of. So I set about and created the Thornaby Youth Zone which works to get Thornaby children into active sports that not only is it good for the weight, but also for the mind and the social element.
The following statement has been released this week and this backs up my very argument.
Stark new figures from the Obesity Health Alliance, released on World Obesity Day, show a looming significant weight gap between the poorest and wealthiest primary-school aged boys living in England. Three in five (60%) of the most deprived boys aged 5-11 are predicted to be overweight or obese by 2020, compared to about one in six (16%) of boys in the most affluent group.
Investing in our future and engaging with young people must be the key to solving this ever growing problem. I understand times are difficult and local authorities are cutting back, but believe me if we don't get the young people on our sides then we can kiss goodbye to ever solving a issue that was forced upon many communities.
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