Scots second only to Americans when it comes to obesity

Health officials in Britain say Scotland now has the one of highest obesity rates in the developed world, and comes second to the United States.

According to a recent report by the Scottish Public Health Observatory, only America has a higher percentage of overweight adults.

The Scottish Public Health Observatory is a collaboration of public health information bodies in Scotland and their figures show that in Scotland one man in four and one woman in five are obese; the revelation comes just as the government has announced plans to make school food healthier.

Experts say obese women are almost 13 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than women of normal weight, more than four times as likely to suffer from high blood pressure, and about three times as likely to develop cancer of the colon; they are also nearly 30 per cent more likely to suffer a stroke.

For obese men the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes is five times greater than those of normal weight, they are 2.6 times more likely to suffer from high blood pressure and about twice as likely to develop osteoarthritis; their chances of suffering a stroke are also 30 per cent higher.

When the proposed plans are implemented in September next year, young people will no longer be able to buy sweets or fizzy drinks from school vending machines, and canteens will be made to limit the number of times they serve chips and then only as part of a balanced meal.

At least two portions of fruit and vegetables will be served every lunchtime, oily fish will be served once every three weeks, while deep-fried food will be limited to three items a week.

The comprehensive report from the Scottish Executive is the first survey of its kind, designed to highlight extent of Scotland's obesity problem.

The report shows that approximately as many as one boy in six and one girl in seven in Scotland is obese; along with the figures for adults that number places Scotland second to America, which has an even worse record.

The report illustrates that obesity is not restricted to deprived inner cities, as more than 70 per cent of men and 65 per cent of women in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles are either overweight or obese, the highest number in Scotland.

The burden on the nation's health is highlighted with almost 500,000 cases of high blood pressure attributable to obesity, along with more than 5,000 strokes a year and almost 30 per cent of all colon cancer cases.

Experts believe the cost of treating obesity-related disease reached an estimated £171 million six years ago, which was the last time such a figure was calculated.

The blame has been squarely laid the Scots' "sedentary lifestyles" and diet with the warning that current attempts to tackle obesity are clearly failing.

It is hoped that targeting young pupils with the new guidelines on school food will help and have a lasting effect.

The figures have been described as "horrific" by some and calls have been made for physical activity programmes for primary school children to be extended and for free fruit schemes and breakfast clubs to be introduced in schools to enable children to access healthy food before school.

The authors of the report say obesity levels in adults and children have risen steadily over the past ten years, with marked increases in men aged 35-64 and in women aged 35-44 which provides evidence that current approaches to obesity are having little impact.