Kids can't beat obesity if we sell off green space

REPORTS and surveys make the lives of young Scots sound nightmarish. They talk of anti-social behaviour, underage drinking and obesity. JOHN WATSON, policy officer of Barnardo's Scotland, believes one answer is, quite literally, child's playOUR children are getting fatter. One in three is officially overweight by the time they leave primary school. Worse, one in five are "obese" and one in 10 "severely obese".

That means they are so fat their health is at risk, now and in the future.

Politicians, parents, teachers and health experts across the country are all working on ways of keeping youngsters trim.

But at Barnardo's, we think there is one easy way to help: let children play.

Perhaps play is so simple that we have taken it for granted and forgotten how important it is. But there is no better way for children to get - and keep - fit.

So what do I mean by play? I am not talking about structured PE lessons or fitness regimes, however helpful they might be.

I am talking about what it is that children and young people do when they follow their own ideas and interests, in their own way and for their own reasons.

Or as one child put it to me: "Play is what I do when nobody is bossing me around."

And that smart kid is backed by an increasing body of research showing that this "free playing" brings vital benefits.

The British Medical Journal has reported the main solution to the "obesity epidemic" in young children should be to "reduce television viewing and promote playing".

Other researchers found free play, far from being simple time out for children, was second only to PE classes in terms of burning off calories.

But play is about more than simply exercising the kids. Play also has a social dimension, and the interaction, negotiation and teamwork, promoted by playing in groups and teams helps in developing children's social skills.

A recent youth justice report stated that "A lack of structured leisure activities was cited in social work reports as a factor contributing to offending behaviour for 59% of the sample."

Through play, children learn about themselves and their environment, and are able to test and expand their own limits.

Playing is accepted as a vital part of personal development and the Mental Health Foundation has found lack of play opportunities is a cause of increasing mental health problems in children and young people.

Unfortunately, for too many of our children the opportunities to play are limited and seem to be getting worse.

Last month, an Evening Times' article highlighted how playing field sites in Glasgow are being sold off to make cash for frontline council services, causing fury among groups which insist the council should be promoting more active lifestyles.

The article revealed around 45 children use the North Kelvin pitches every Sunday.

And only weeks ago a battle also began to prevent a large slice of Victoria Park in Jordanhill being turned into a car park.

Parents are also more likely than ever before to keep their children in - for their own safety. Stranger Danger has been blown up into a major parental concern.

The distance children are now allowed to roam from their own homes has been cut to a ninth of what it was in 1970.

When they do go out, unaccompanied children are increasingly seen as a social problem and children themselves say that hostile adults make them feel unwelcome outside.

And our streets have less and less space for children to play. They are increasingly dominated by cars and new developments mean playing fields have been lost at a rate of one a day in the last eight years.

Astonishingly, in the UK there are now 80-acres of golf course for every one acre of children's play space.

And the shortage of play areas is at its worst in some of our most deprived areas. Areas such as North Glasgow and Possilpark are particularly lacking in good play facilities and last spring parents in the area held a conference to look at ways of improving play environments.

The parents have presented a petition to the Scottish Parliament for more action.

But, despite growing concern over the problem of play deprivation, it seems the penny has still to drop with politicians.

The Government doesn't even have a policy on helping people to play - despite having a policy on almost everything else.

Efforts to support play can take many forms - providing a swing park, marking out some football pitches or leaving some good open space for running around.

It should involve teachers and nursery staff understanding the importance of free play.

Now more than ever play provides a targeted and effective response to the needs of children and young people in Scotland and it should be supported with a vigour which reflects that.

Barnardo's and Play Scotland are calling for a broad package of measures - a Play Strategy - that aims to provide a safe and accessible play environment for every child in Scotland.

21/02/06 Evening Times