Health & Medical Advice and Information - UK Medical Health

Unless we provide more outdoor play facilties and opportunities for our children and young people we are headed for an explosion in physical and mental health issues. This was part of the message that came from an international conference held in Bristol in 2006.

But exactly what is being done to address the problem? Childhood obesity has, at last, been recognised by central government as a major issue but are they acknowledging the warning from Professor Dick Jackson that poorly designed neighbourhoods, highway planning and urban design are root causes of our current situation?

Our towns, cities and roads are massively overcrowded. Local authorities are currently focussed upon providing more housing whilst somehow keeping the traffic flowing on the congested roads. Investment in urban parks, open spaces and outdoor play equipment has fallen significantly since the 1970’s when it was around 44% of local authority spending. Today it is more likely to be around 25 to 30%.

It has become necessary for people to recognise how the quality of their lives and importantly, the lives of children and young people, are affected by town planning, urban development and the allocation of local authority funds. People need to lobby their local authorities and convince their councillors that it is urgently necessary for them to place the needs of young people at the top of their priority list when considering any aspects of urban development. Open urban space with some good quality outdoor play equipment is relatively cheap to setup and maintain but the payoff will be immense.