Sue says, ‘There has been a lot of focus on diet in the fight against childhood obesity, but that is quite a passive way to deal with it.'
‘It is also about being physically healthy and looking after your body in a way that will enable you to get the most out of it,’ she adds.
For some children, PE is the main source of daily physical activity. Although many take full advantage of lessons, schools still face the challenge of including young people with a variety of needs and interests and engaging those who are currently not taking part in physical activity.
The variety of sports now being offered by schools helps because children have more opportunities to try out and find a sport which is right for them.
There needs to be equal encouragement for boys and girls, and for those with physical challenges, but there is a concern that girls' participation in sport drops off from the age of fourteen and onwards. According to research by the WSFF nearly a quarter of women say that PE at school put them off sport and 40 per cent of girls as young as seven don’t want to be seen to be ‘sporty’.
Sue says girls have the view that ‘thinness is more important than fitness’, and warns of a crisis in women’s fitness levels which is set to get much worse, threatening a successful 2012 Legacy, unless girls’ attitudes to sports goes through a cultural change.
‘Girls are growing up believing it is more important to be attractive than active,’ she adds. ‘Sport is still seen as unfeminine, and girls’ earliest experiences of sport are often off-putting.’
Following the research findings the WSFF will work to develop the first national strategy to raise participation, but in the meantime there is plenty that parents can do.
‘It is amazing how many different types of sports have been introduced by schools because of parents,’ she says. ‘A girl I know does Capoeira dancing after school. Parents can play a valuable role in supporting schools’ sporting efforts.
‘Also, there are important issues around body image and parents need to be aware of that. Talk to your daughter about it and acknowledge it'. One way to mitigate against negative body image is to be active – it builds self esteem and body awareness, and creates a stronger sense of self.
‘It’s also good if you are active as a parent,’ she adds.
And also sport will improve general health, helping to stave off problems like heart disease and diabetes.
Learning about the links between exercise and health at an early age will pay huge dividends later in life, whatever the motivation.
