Regular Obesity Checks on the Anvil for Hungary Schoolkids

Sports-loving Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's drive to mould a healthier population will now see schoolchildren face annual obesity checks. From September pupils aged between 10 and 18 will undergo a compulsory annual National Fitness Test which will measure body fat ratio and eight other health parameters, a spokesperson for organising body the Hungarian Student Sport Association (MDSZ) told AFP.

Children who score poorly will be given a report card with one of three grades: "healthy"; "needs development"; or "needs particular development".

"The grade is meant as a guide for further steps for children, parents, and teachers," the MDSZ said.

According to MDSZ figures, up to 20 percent of certain age groups of Hungarian schoolchildren are obese. Bad diets and lack of regular exercise have caused some form of abnormalities -- for example flat feet or curved spines -- in over 60 percent.

The annual test is the latest in a series of wide-ranging school reforms, including daily gym lessons, introduced in 2013 by Orban, a football fanatic sometimes criticised for spending too much public money on his favourite sport.

Source-AFP