Scottish Government
Printable version E-mail this to a friend

Take Life On

A new campaign aimed at informing parents of the health benefits of children participating in 60 minutes of physical activity a day kicked off yesterday.

The 'Take Life On' initiative will feature TV and radio adverts and a dedicated website highlighting the importance of the '60 minutes' message and simple steps on how parents can work with their children to achieve this.

The beginning of the campaign was marked today by former international footballer Andy Walker, author and child development expert Sue Palmer and 60 children from Ruchill Primary School who shunned an unhealthy lifestyle and got active in the local park.

Minister for Public Health and Sport Shona Robison said:

"The major message of Take Life On is that simple changes in our daily lives can make a real difference to our health and give us a feel-good boost.

"The health benefits for both children and adults in engaging in even light activity are well documented. The Take Life On campaign will provide parents with useful hints and advice to ensure they are best equipped to encourage their children to get active and meet the 60 minutes a day goal.

"We need to encourage our children to spend less time in front of the TV screen and to make sensible choices when it comes to healthy eating. These easy steps, coupled with an increase in physical activity, can make a real difference to health by helping to reduce the risk of serious conditions like heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

"As a nation we Scots are passionate about our sport and I hope that major events like the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games will act as an inspiration to people to increase their levels of physical activity. We want people to make lasting lifestyle changes and as a result make Scotland a healthier nation."

Sue Palmer author and expert on child development added:

"If we left it to nature, there'd be no problem keeping kids active. They're born to be active - running, jumping, sliding, climbing, generally making a lot of mess and noise. It's called playing. Unfortunately, over the last twenty years, we've got frightened of letting our children out to play.

"So children aren't doing the things their bodies and brains are programmed to do. It isn't natural and it isn't healthy, for children or parents. Play is as essential for youngsters' healthy development as food or sleep. That doesn't mean playing on a computer game or staring at the TV. For children of about four and upwards, it means outdoor play with other children.

"It's important not just for physical fitness, but for learning to get along with other kids, developing self-reliance and resilience, finding out about the world at first hand and turning a child into a well-rounded, confident individual."

Andy Walker, former international footballer, said:

"Children are meant to be on the move, not sitting down. Just 60 minutes activity a day can have a direct impact on your child's health.

"I loved playing football as a child, we would put down jumpers for goalposts and we'd play for hours after school and at weekends. I'd much rather kids were out playing football than just watching it on TV or playing it on a games console.

"Even if your kids don't like a kickabout, playing tig in the garden, musical bumps or hide and seek in the house, all help keep your children active and reduce the risk of heart disease, type two diabetes and cancers.

"Shaping your children's health is one of the best things you can do for their future."

A partnership with Morrisons supermarket and field support events in shopping centres are also planned to coincide with the launch of the campaign. The Morrisons promotional activity aims to show that healthy food can be inexpensive and easy to prepare. The 'Big Play Date', a day of activity aimed at giving parents ideas for getting their kids active, will also take place across Scotland in February.

For children the recommended physical activity levels are 60 minutes a day of moderate activity per day, however research suggests almost two thirds of Scottish parents are unaware of this. In 2009 75 per cent of boys and 68 per cent of girls met the physical activity recommendations including school-based activity.

There was considerable variation in children's participation in physical activity (including school-based activity) by age and sex. Among boys in 2008/09 activity levels were highest between the ages of five and 12, when around eight in 10 met the recommended levels, falling to 70 per cent of boys aged 13-15. Among girls, levels of participation tailed off earlier and more sharply - from 79 per cent of girls aged eight-10, to 67 per cent aged 11-12 and 41 per cent of girls aged 13-15.

Related Information

Facing the Future...find out more