A leading health expert has called on schools to take children on a one mile walk or run during the school day in an effort to tackle the obesity crisis.
Shirley Cramer, chief executive of the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) in the UK, believes the 15 minute exercise period would be a cheap solution to a growing health problem.
Speaking to The Daily Mail ahead of the RSPH annual conference, where members called for a tax on sugar to help curb childhood obesity, Ms. Cramer said:
‘If you said that every child had to be out and walk or run a mile every day, it would cost nothing,’ she said.
‘This is an inexpensive, sensible, common sense way to promote activity and being healthy. We would like all schools to do this.
‘It also makes children more chirpy, more inclined to learn, and more confident. It is a win-win solution.’
Ms. Cramer said the idea has already proven a success at St Ninians School in Stirling, where all pupils are required to walk or run one mile a day. As a result, none of the students at the school are overweight.
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