Go to: Issue Description - Key Facts - Table of Contents
Issue Description
Obesity is a growing problem around the world and around one in four men and one in three women in the UK are now overweight. Staying fit can help prevent many illnesses, such as heart disease and some types of cancer, yet only 40% of men and 28% of women are meeting the recommended levels of physical activity. This book looks at the problem of obesity and why we should stay fit.
The information comes from a variety of sources, including government reports and statistics, newspapers and magazine articles, surveys and polls, academic research and literature from charities and lobby groups; articles have been tailored to an 11 to 14 age group. Additionally, at the end of each chapter are two pages of activities relating to the articles and issues raised in that chapter.
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Key Facts
- In 2006, 16 per cent of children aged 2 to 15 were classed as obese. This represents an overall increase from 11% in 1995. (page 3)
- The technological revolution of the 20th century has led to weight gain becoming inevitable for most people, because our bodies and biological make-up are out of step with our surroundings. (page 7)
- By 2050, 60 per cent of men and 40 per cent of women could be clinically obese. (page 7)
- Regular physical activity can halve your risk of developing coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers. It can also reduce your risk of getting osteoporosis, which causes bones to become fragile and vulnerable to breaking. (page 16)
- Researchers from Bristol Universitys Children of the 90s project discovered that doing 15 minutes a day of moderate exercise lowered a childs chances of being obese by almost 50 per cent. (page 20)
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Table of Contents
Chapter One: The Fitness Problem
Obesity, Obesity and physical activity, The politics of obesity, Childrens physical activity levels overestimated, Sleepwalking towards obesity, Childhood obesity: a class and a classroom issue, Persecuting chubby kids, Fitness and ageing, Activities.
Chapter Two: Getting Fit
Whats to gain?, Exercise, Change4Life: The healthy living revolution starts here, The answer to childhood obesity: 15 minutes of football?, Record numbers doing PE, Exercise does not make obese children slim, Study tips the scales in favour of exercise, Exercise for depression, Compulsive exercise, Activities.
