Anti-obesity plan is stopped in schools, it outcasts over-weight children
After 15 years, the parents of over-weight children put an end to the programme “Trim and Fit.” Next year the plan, which targets only the physical form, will be replaced by a more complete programme that promotes not only physical health, but also mental and social health.
Singapore (AsiaNews/Agenzie) – The anti-obesity plan “Trim and Fit,” currently in place in schools in Singapore, will be replaced next year. The decision was taken following parents’ complaints that their over-weight children were lamenting because they were being singled-out and teased by their classmates.
The government declared the 15 year old programme “Trim and Fit” – be replaced by a holistic one for all students, and not just those that are over-weight. Under the current programme, over-weight children attend not only the regular physical fitness class, but also a set of rigorous exercises during breaks before and after school until they have lost the necessary weight.
The new campaign- according to the Education Ministry – will focus not only on physical health through gymnastics, but also on the mental and social well-being in order to promote a healthier lifestyle.
Last year, the senior parliamentary secretary for education, Masagos Zulkifli, told the The Straits Times that the programme had actually reduced the number of over-weight students: they went from 14% in 1992 to 9,5% the following year.
But the project provoked criticism by the parents who sustained that a programme which causes isolation in over-weight children makes them vulnerable to being teased by their classmates.
The Education Ministry contested a study which analyzed the “Trim and Fit” programme and its reference to girls with eating disorders, insisting that disorders are determined by complex problems with psychological origins not attributed to any one factor.
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See also
Fight against obesity starts at school
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