A problem that can only have grown this year

Of all the things people are worried about right now, obesity has probably slipped somewhere down the pecking order, but the fact remains that, particularly in childhood, it must be tackled.

News that being overweight or obese increases the risk of contracting coronavirus may have prompted some people to fight the flab, however; particularly as prime minister Boris Johnson declared a renewed vigour in the battle to get Britain slimmer after his own brush with mortality courtesy of Covid-19.

It is well known that obesity presents many long-term health issues, and being chubby in childhood is merely storing up problems for adult life.

The simple fact is that eating less, or more healthily, and exercising more is the way to lose weight.

If it were that simple, though there would not be a problem.

Modern life has made us lazy, and children are included in this. Many are dropped off at school in the car, and collected afterwards for a drive home and an evening in front of the X-Box.

So anything that will focus children’s minds on a healthier lifestyle is to be applauded, and we welcome plans for school ‘superzones’ that would see roads closed and healthy eating encouraged in a bid to combat obesity.

The road closures would encourage walking or cycling to school, and there would be an educational emphasis on healthier eating choices.

Portsmouth City Council’s education boss, Cllr Suzy

Horton, is understandably disappointed that a pilot scheme planned pre-lockdown has not got off the ground.

But she is right not to take her eye off the ball.

Childhood obesity has not gone away, and in time we may find that six months of lockdown and its aftermath has made the problem worse. We must do whatever we can to reverse that.