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Growing up in Scotland
18/02/2008
Children in Scotland are getting a taste for fruit and veg at an early age - but many still enjoy sweets on a daily basis.
These are among the latest results from the Growing Up in Scotland (GUS) survey, one of the largest long term studies of its kind in Scotland.
The survey shows Scottish toddlers like nursery, eat fruit and veg every day, enjoy looking at books or reading stories and have a taste for sweeties.
GUS is tracking 8,000 families' experiences including attitudes towards children's services, parenting, childcare, health and education.
Launched in 2005, the study plans to track the youngsters from birth through to their teenage years with the results helping shape and influence the future of Scotland's children and family services.
Among the findings from the second year report are:
- Most children still lived in families with two parents - with around one in five living in lone parent families
- The vast majority of those taking part said that their children's health was 'good' or 'very good'
- Almost all children in the older group attended pre-school or nursery (94 per cent)
- Most three year olds liked nursery - and 81 per cent said that their child said good things about nursery more than once a week
- More than three-quarters (79 per cent) of the children looked at books or read stories every day
In the younger group:
- 85 per cent ate at least two types of fruit every day and 70 per cent ate at least two types of vegetables every day
- Many still consumed unhealthy foods and drinks on a regular basis (43 per cent eat chocolate or sweets at least once a day)
Children's Minister Adam Ingram said:
"It's great to see that most parents taking part in this survey already recognise the value of pre-school provision, healthy eating and early educational activities.
"However, while the vast majority of children in the study eat fruit and vegetables every single day, it's still a concern that many of them regularly consume unhealthy food and drinks.
"This government has already demonstrated how important we believe the early years of our childrens' lives are, particularly in relation to diet and pre-school education. Our nutritional guidance, early intervention and the forthcoming early years strategy all place children very firmly at the heart of our policies.
"But obesity is an increasing problem and poses a serious risk to health. That's why tackling the problem, particularly in early life, is a high priority and why we're determined to help children develop a taste for healthy eating at the earliest possible age.
"As part of our national food policy we will be encouraging people to develop healthy eating habits that will benefit them for the rest of their lives and help tackle the serious problem of obesity."
The Growing Up in Scotland survey was commissioned in 2003 and the research is being undertaken by the Scottish Centre for Social Research in collaboration with the Centre for Research on Families and relationships at the University of Edinburgh.
Questions about food and eating were asked of the younger group. This is the first year that these questions have been asked as part of the survey.
Over the next three years the Scottish Government plans to spend £56.5 million on initiatives dedicated to tackling obesity, healthy eating and physical activity. An obesity action plan will be published in early 2008 providing further details.