By Graeme Strachan

DUNDEE EAST MSP and SNP health spokeswoman Shona Robison has called for school pupils to be given annual fitness tests to cut Scotland’s growing obesity “timebomb”.

Ms Robison said the tests would be an “early intervention measure”, helping identify children who may be at risk from obesity and taking action to prevent the problem occurring.

The SNP is to put down a motion at the Scottish Parliament calling for pupils to be given annual fitness tests.

More than a fifth of Scottish three-and-a-half-year-olds are overweight, one in 12 is obese and nearly one in 20 is severely obese.

“It is our responsibility to provide the next generation with the opportunities to live longer, healthier lives. Early intervention is the key to solving this growing timebomb,” she said.

The MSP was speaking after Scottish Executive figures revealed there were 5592 hospital admissions for obesity-related illness in Scotland alone last year.

In Tayside (247) and Fife (490) there were 737 cases—11% of the Scottish total.

“There seems to have been a steady increase, which is of concern,” said Ms Robison.

“We know that obesity-related problems, such as type 2 diabetes in particular, is a huge problem for the health service and a huge drain on resources.

“We must take more preventative measures to tackle a huge and growing problem.

“We have got to tackle it by far more rigorous public health measures, improving diet and increasing exercise and picking up at an early stage children who may be at risk from obesity.

“We intend to identify problems early by use of annual fitness tests as part of comprehensive child care policies.

“The fitness tests would be done in a discreet and sensitive way.”

The SNP also want to improve the health of children by stopping marketing of unhealthy food and drink to children, and ensuring that only healthy food is sold in vending machines in schools.

Scotland’s first healthy weight strategy has been launched in Tayside in a bid to tackle obesity.

NHS Tayside’s public health directorate has led the strategy to help co-ordinate action across the region in order to drive down obesity levels.

A four-page summary of the report, which explains why obesity is such a concern, along with proposals to tackle it, was distributed to over 80,000 households across the region.

Joyce Thompson dietetic consultant in public health nutrition, based at King’s Cross Hospital in Dundee, said, “It’s certainly an area of particular concern within NHS Tayside, which is why they produced the healthy weight strategy.

“The figures do show there is an increasing prevalence of more people becoming overweight and the severity is increasing as well.

“The prevention and management of obesity is a complex balance between what you eat and level of activity you have.”

According to the Executive’s own figures, children in Scotland are among the fattest in the developed world with 20% of twelve-year- olds being clinically obese and one third overweight.