Hansard

I, too, welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate on tackling obesity in Scotland. We must remember that obesity is not confined to Scotland and is a global problem. The World Health Organization has spoken of obesity as

“the greatest health threat of the 21st century”.

In 2008, 1.5 billion adults worldwide aged 20 and over were overweight or obese. In 2010, 43 million children were overweight or obese. That is worrying. We have heard the worrying statistics in Scotland on young people who are obese and in some cases severely obese. We have heard that adult obesity in Scotland is predicted to reach well over 40 per cent by 2030 if we do not deal with the issue.

We have heard about the risks of being overweight or obese, which include a risk of serious disease and premature death. Obesity also contributes to an increased risk of osteoarthritis, low self-esteem, depression and psychological problems. Those latter issues apply to children as well as to adults. In 2007-08, the estimated cost to our health service was £457 million, and the figure is predicted to increase. It is therefore vital that we try to halt any further rise in obesity, while reducing existing obesity levels among the population.

We need to put the issue in context and understand that preventing obesity is a complex matter. The 2008 report by Sheffield Hallam University that followed an earlier foresight report states:

“There is no example anywhere in the world where the obesity trend has been reversed”.

I say that not to argue that we cannot do it, but to point out that the challenge is huge. The same report talks about the obesogenic environment that promotes obesity and unhealthy weight levels. That is just by circumstance and not because of anything that has been done deliberately. Alison Johnstone referred to our reliance on vehicles and the fact that our built environment is designed around that. We have labour-saving devices, easy access to and availability of cheap, high-fat and high-sugar foods, internet shopping, eating out, fast foods and takeaways, super-sized products and genetic and social factors.

Of course, there is insufficient physical activity. Therefore, the challenge is great and requires a complex and multifaceted solution. The cross-cutting approach in the Scottish Government’s obesity route map recognises that. It makes commitments to tackle all the factors that contribute to an overweight and obese population: food consumption and diet; behaviour in the early years; health and wellbeing in the workplace; and physical activity. Paramount in that is early intervention. Many members have made the point better than I could about the importance of intervening at an early age.

Much of what I was going to say has been said, so I will say a little about my personal experience of the challenge of trying to maintain a healthy weight. Many people have said to me, “That is not a problem for you, Margaret,” but all my adult life, I have struggled to maintain a healthy weight. I have gone to every weight loss club known and reached the target at every one. I have been 2 stone lighter than I am now and 3 stone heavier. However, in the past seven years, I have managed to maintain a healthy weight. I have always had a healthy lifestyle and eaten healthy foods, but I believe that the difference is that I have sustained physical activity, which is walking. I appreciate the minister’s comments about walking and the national walking strategy. Physical exercise alone will not result in weight loss, and nor will changing eating habits. We need a combination of the two to maintain a healthy weight.

The focus should be on maintaining a healthy weight, because it does not benefit any of us if our weight goes up and down. I know many people who are in the same situation as me. For me, there is evidence that walking has made a huge difference.

It is not an easy task, even for people like me who were not overweight as a child. We must recognise that there is a lot more involved than just saying to people that they should cut down what they eat and take a bit of exercise. Lots of other factors must be considered.

The minister outlined many of the initiatives that the Scottish Government, in partnership with local authorities and other organisations, is taking to increase physical activity among our population. The initiatives include investment in cycling, encouraging walking to school, two hours of quality PE each week—which we hope to achieve by 2014—and investing £25 million from cashback for communities directly in sporting facilities. In my constituency, Kilwinning benefited from that money. There is also the legacy of the Commonwealth games, which will ensure increased access to sports facilities and a more active nation.

Regular physical exercise is important in the jigsaw of tackling obesity, but we are not all budding athletes or fans of the gym. We need to look at what activities are available. There has to be a variety: walking, cycling, aquarobics, swimming, Zumba and keep fit, to name but a few. We have to aim for every section of the population. We must recognise Patricia Ferguson’s point about young girls, who, on reaching the age of 12 or 13, give up physical activity. That is a time when a lot of young girls’ body shapes are changing, and they do not want to strip off and take up gym. We need to look at a variety of physical exercise because that, I believe, will have a positive impact on our stated aim of having people live longer and healthier lives.

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