You know what I’m going to say. Yes, no mention of Scotland in this, from the Guardian‘s Health Correspondent, Tobi Thomas.

Do you think that means Tobi has done the research and knows that doomy claim applies equally to Scotland?

Has s/he flip!

The Scottish Government has taken several targeted actions on child nutrition, obesity, and related health issues, which could help mitigate aspects of the UK-wide problems highlighted in the RCPCH report upon which the Guardian report is based.

Such as? Here are a selected six of them.

Expansion of free school meals to tackle child poverty and improve nutrition.¹

Breakfast clubs and early support such as Best Start Foods for low-income families.²

Food (Promotion and Placement) (Scotland) Regulations 2025, restricts promotions and placement of high-fat/sugar/salt foods in stores and online is effective from October 2026. These will target childhood obesity contributors.3

The Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022 required national and local plans for healthy food access. There’s been ongoing work on community food networks, reducing food bank reliance and a commitment to halve childhood obesity by 2030.⁴

Active Schools is a national program that works directly with schools to provide more opportunities for sport and physical activity before, during, and after school e.g. clubs, lunchtime activities. It aims to increase participation, especially for those who are less active.⁵

The Daily Mile – Scotland became the world’s first “Daily Mile Nation.” This simple initiative encourages every child in a class to run/jog/walk for 15 minutes a day during the school day. It started in a Scottish primary school and is now in hundreds of Scottish schools across all local authorities, with strong government backing. It directly supports early years and primary physical activity.⁶

The Scottish Child Payment will support the fight against childhood obesity by helping to break the reliance on cheaper, calorie-dense processed foods, enable greater access to safe paly spaces and physical activity and by reducing household stress.⁷

Sources:

1. https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-government-high-level-action-plan-response-committee-economic-social-cultural-rights/pages/18/
2. https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-government-high-level-action-plan-response-committee-economic-social-cultural-rights/pages/18/
3. https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-government-high-level-action-plan-response-committee-economic-social-cultural-rights/pages/18/
4. https://publichealthscotland.scot/population-health/early-years-and-young-people/child-health-data-and-intelligence/child-weight-and-growth/obesity/
5. https://sportscotland.org.uk/schools-colleges/active-schools
6. https://www.gov.scot/news/scotland-is-worlds-first-daily-mile-nation/
7. https://www.feedthechildren.org/our-work/stories/the-link-between-childhood-obesity-and-poverty/