Fitting in

There is something fitting about the SAR starting a fitness campaign on the day the United States produced its new dietary guidelines. Similar eating habits are contributing to a rising number of obese children in both places - but that is where the resemblance ends.

There would be a national outcry in the US if authorities saw fit to parade 10 overweight children before the cameras, no matter how well-intentioned the publicity campaign or how willing the participants. Political correctness has reached such a pitch in San Francisco, for example, that a new law will outlaw discrimination against people on the grounds of weight. Hong Kong is at the opposite end of the spectrum - putting the pudgy on display like acts in a circus. It is to be hoped the planners of the Healthy Exercise For All Campaign have a strategy for coping with children who cannot stay the 12-session course. If not, the psychological damage to any who drop out could be considerable.

Any adult who has tried to slim knows eating less and eating better is as hard as giving up smoking. For all the health benefits of sensible eating, the right food is rarely as appealing as the wrong. Hence the growing obesity in every developed country.

Fast-food outlets lure youngsters with toys and gimmicks - it is a strong-minded child who can handle the pressure of standing apart in the playground as classmates swap items. Overweight children are already too often the butt of jokes; they may feel even worse if they cut the exercise classes and end up as heavy as when they started. But if the SAR's tactics are wrong, at least the motives are right. Something must be done to correct the unhealthy trends in schoolchildren's diets.

Affluence has a detrimental effect by leading children into bad eating habits and encouraging an indoor life. Stuck in front of computers or the TV, downing fizzy drinks and sweets, dining on burgers and french fries, children are putting their health at risk. However, it is parents who should be alert to the dangers and understand about nutrition. Even if it proves difficult to wean children off meals high in saturated fats, the effects can be reduced if children lead active lives. Schools can help by ensuring the curriculum includes plenty of activities that burn off energy. One prime reason for bidding to host the 2006 Asian Games is to raise public consciousness of sport and encourage the young on to the athletics track.

This is a sedentary society. Its sports seem to be computer games for children and karaoke for adults. The main leisure activity for both is eating out. Let us hope we can raise more sporting heroes, to create role models for a healthier life.