National
Government plan to fight child obesity
By h.b.
Jul 13, 2006 - 8:15 AM

A total of 12,000 school children in 64 schools across the country are to take part in a pilot scheme designed to combat child obesity.

As many as 30% of Spanish school children are overweight and the pilot scheme will concentrate on the 6 to 12 year olds.

From January 2007 they can expect changes in school diet and more exercise, with each child’s weight being monitored individually.

Andalucia is one of the regions to be included in the plan, which starts where the problem is statistically more serious.

Minister for Health, Elena Salgado, said the problem was ‘especially serious’ because of the health problems it can lead to in later life.