Question reference: S5W-34787
- Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 27 January 2021
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Current status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 4 February 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to address obesity as an inter-generational issue among families.
Answer
Our 2018 Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan sets out that we will give children the best start in life through a broad range of action to support children and their families to eat well and be a healthy weight. The Delivery Plan is at https://www.gov.scot/publications/healthier-future-scotlands-diet-healthy-weight-delivery-plan/
We want to ensure parents and carers are supported to make informed decisions, whether it’s about breastfeeding and weaning, nutrition, portion size or mealtime behaviours. Furthermore, should their child’s weight become a concern, we want parents to understand why it matters, and to feel supported – not judged – with good advice and services.
There is strong evidence that breastfeeding is one of the most important things that a mother can do to give her baby the best nutritional start in life, which can also be a means of preventing obesity among infants and young children. We have provided over £5 million in additional investment over the past three years to NHS Boards and launched a Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland scheme to promote, support and protect breastfeeding. The Becoming Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland report is at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/becoming-breastfeeding-friendly-scotland-report/
Public Health Scotland published Core Standards for Healthy Weight Management in 2019. It strongly encourages NHS Boards to continue to innovate by developing and testing more efficient, responsive, and family-centred approaches to continually improve the quality of the services provided. The standards recommend that NHS Boards, in line with the best available evidence, provide treatment programmes for children and young people, which are ‘multicomponent’ and incorporate the following elements: behaviour change, are family based, involve at least one parent/carer and aim to change the whole family’s lifestyle. The standards are at: http://www.healthscotland.scot/media/2658/standards-for-the-delivery-of-tier-2-and-tier-3
-weight-management-services-for-children-and-young-people-in-scotland-english-oct2019.pdf
We are providing over £600,000 this financial year to ten NHS board-led projects, working with families to help prevent and reduce levels of childhood obesity. Many of these are trialling a family-centred approach, with particular focus on parents and families from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Our Parent Club site ( https://www.parentclub.scot/ ) provides a range of hints and tips to help families enjoy healthier meals and snacks, especially for those on a budget. The site recognises the additional challenges parents are facing during the pandemic so the advice does not just look at what to eat but how preparing food can be educational and fun.