Social change is an extremely hot movement of today. One in which submits everyone as change makers at their own will. Discovering alternatives to a vast amount of disconcerting topics and social issues that may arise in everyday situations. Such pressing problems are at the hands of these change makers to make a stand, join together and progress towards finding a resolution and reducing the difficulties we all at some point will endure. As social change begins to develop worldwide cities alike are outlining priorities of focus, consequently uncovering various strategies to embark upon. One main focus for the city of London is its health. Often this is something we may put to the back of our minds, especially when we are in the queue for a tasty Big Mac meal and a sugary doughnut but without realising it, the choices that we make about our lifestyles and what we put into our bodies can not only be having a negative effect on us, but to our children too. Something very worrying and not at all uncommon in this present day is the rise seen in child obesity, since the GLA’s 2007 ACT, tacking London’s health inequalities has been a major concept to find and ultimately resolve the negatives of London’s health as a whole. With the vastly publicised outrage of child obesity trumping headlines, it has come to London’s attention that it has now become a city where children are thinking it is ok to grow up in a world where obesity can be sitting on the couch right next to you, often leading to these children themselves following in their calorie filled footsteps. Boris Johnson has stated last year’s perfect legacy would have been “A leaner, fitter London” where working “towards the elimination of childhood obesity” would subsequently be one major goal to reach from 2012. The inequalities strategy has come up with five main objectives in order to subsequently tackle, decrease and eventually eliminate obesity and strive for a more healthier, active and thriving city.
Within these five objectives set out and discussed along with Boris Johnson himself, there consists of permitting long term change to improve the well-being and health of not just the general public of London but to communities at a disadvantage. These include those who are at a hindrance of financial status. In relation to individuals around my age group (18+) the access that everyone has to higher quality social care especially towards those who are deprived of good health outcomes is one main subject of main priority. The right to good social care would mean: fewer individuals my age who are living in deprived areas and those who are at disadvantages, to be given more help where and when it is needed. Choices like these will be part of the long and tough process to which a healthier London could be achieved. Something that in the past has been overlooked to some degree is the access to such choices that would promote a healthy/active lifestyle. When thinking about the changes that London needs to embark upon, will mean considering activity in which will have an encouraging result to the health and lifestyles of many people who have limited access, or such prospects that are not widely publicised or even heard of. Social change makers are working hard to not only counteract these issues that have been raised but to end up with an effective resolution to London’s social concerns. When I think about the vast amount of work that each individual puts into the care and the development of London as a whole, words don’t express what an amazing job that social change is having upon the lives of those living in the city. Social change makers are often overlooked, not widely valued in their roles and the work that they do has not always been rewarded as much as it should. Each person has brought seemingly impossible social change and in London specifically tackling the main issues concerning their occupants such as: Obesity, Mental health, Alcohol, Cancer, and Sexual Health.
More and more London occupants are living in poverty and disadvantage, some in complete destitution, for this reason the NEED to tackle the health inequalities of London has become one main priority of the GLA. As a young adult myself the right to good social care, choices made easier and indeed the access to being able to live and promote a healthy, active lifestyle is extremely essential. However it has come to my attention that the situation for adults in general is of a more serious concern than that of childhood obesity within London. Focusing on the obesity issue, it is increasingly worrying that children are somewhat growing up in a city where it is normal to be overweight and consume more and more unhealthy foods, the finger being pointed at us adults. We are meant to be setting an example and ultimately leading the way for a healthy future, instead it seems as though we are indulging in far more than a one-off takeaway. Are we to blame for “More than a 3rd of London’s 11 year Old’s are overweight and 1 in 5 are obese”? Definitely! We aren’t just born with a jam doughnut in our mouths. To those living In London, consuming quick and high calorie foods is easier and made available everywhere, ultimately we are becoming less and less proactive because of it. The need for social change within London to tackle rising issues concerning the health of the city means undertaking numerous strategies and planning. For this reason the GLA have devised the ‘First steps delivery plan’ which consists of a priority of actions tackling the inequalities strategy’s 30 top commitments.All with a hope to address the issues carefully, and find alternative answers to social concerns.
Where change makers are the key to the future and resolutions to problems are highly sought after, I have myself started to think about ways in which certain choices that London make could be the beginning of encouraging more and more people to make healthier choices for not only themselves but their communities and their children too. Due to financial problems of many individuals, the access to healthier foods just seems to be non-existent or at too high an economic and temporal cost. I raise these questions (somewhat rhetorically) on behalf of those within my age group; Is it easier to buy less healthy foods? Do we really have time to prepare healthy meals? Are we just simply buying what we can afford? Often many of us adults will not have time to prepare healthy foods for ourselves let alone our families. With the busy lives that we harbour in this modern-day and age aspects like juggling a career, a family, school and various other activities or piling issues that we may face, often we resort to the simple, quick and easy option. Nipping down the chippy for a chicken curry and chips. How hard would it be to somehow eliminate the thought process of choosing the easy option, because don’t we all just feel lazy, bloated and not at all pleased with ourselves at the end of it? We could aim towards eliminating the easy option by providing a subsequent idea; through promoting the overall importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle as a workshop in schools and working with London’s borough and partners. Addressing the idea of making it easy to choose a healthier option could help London on its way as a developing healthier city. Why not just take away the amount of high-street take always and instead introduce a set of fast food restaurants, containing everything from your five a day. Easy for me to say right? But if healthier food was made easier to acquire and cheaper than a KFC, wouldn’t we all make that choice? Especially within my age group where fast food chains are specifically targeting young adults, the addiction to greasy chips is increasingly common, all I ask is for a healthy alternative. Many friends I asked revolving around this situation who were all of similar age to me, said that they too would rather eat healthier food, if it was made easier and cheaper to buy. The proof is in the pudding.
It is not just what we eat that affects our health but it falls on the level of exercise we participate in. The lifestyle of people in cities, relative to London is increasingly sedentary, yet simple alternatives can be made that not just the people of London would see the encouraging results from. If an effort was made to encourage more people in cycling to work they would benefit from the exercise and the city would benefit from the reduction in the harmful pollutions spewing from road users. Not only this but If the city adopts a healthier lifestyle the stress on the NHS would be reduced, less money would be spent treating ailments that are a result of the “first world epidemic” that is obesity. This money that is saved could be used to fund workshops in schools that encourage healthy eating, or used to buy better physical education equipment.
To me social change has got to be one of the most inspiring movements I have heard of, those who promote themselves as change makers are finding the answers that have been simply missed by others. London’s health inequalities strategy and the work that the government and in particular Boris Johnson have been delivering, is having a monumental effect upon the overall wellbeing of the city. I can sit here and quite simply say to you to put down that burger, swap the sweets for vegetables and be done with it but the fact of the matter is, the social decline in health is becoming worse and is expected to get worse as time passes. London have a great advantage with social change makers on board, working with different companies and businesses to maintain and give access to improved and invigorating lifestyles for all of those who are living within the city. Driving through change and making a stand against greasy kebabs will one day see the rise of a ‘Mc-Something healthy’. Lead by example, heck become a change maker yourself. Promote the ideas you have about London’s wellbeing and the ways in which choices for a healthier and a more active lifestyle can be obtained. As we see the fall of obesity we see the rise for humanity and the way to a healthier London!
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