03 being healthy
- You have the right to life and to be healthy.
- Adults should take good care of you.
- If you have a disability you should get the care and support you need so that you can live a full and independent life and grow up the same way as other children.
- If you are ill you should get the medical care you need.
- Your family should have enough money to make sure you and other children in your family are healthy and looked after properly. The government should help if you need them to.
All health services in Scotland are free for children and young people. These are some of the things about health that the Government has thought about…
The Government said every school should be doing everything it can to help create a healthy life for all pupils. Children should be learning about being healthy and getting healthier food and drink at school. The Government was concerned about the diet of many children; some are overweight or obese. The Government launched campaigns and projects to get pupils involved in sports and exercise in schools.
The Government tried to increase breastfeeding as its good for a baby's health.
The Government worked to reduce the numbers of Scottish children who are injured or killed in road accidents. There are Children's Traffic Clubs for 3 year olds and 20-mile-per-hour speed limits have been put in place near schools.
HIV and AIDS affect some children and young people, perhaps because they are living with HIV/ AIDS themselves or because someone in their family does. In Scotland people living with HIV/ AIDS can get drugs to help them manage HIV/ AIDS and stay as well as they can.
Drug and alcohol use is a big concern in Scotland. Nearly 100,000 children live in a family where a parent has alcohol problems. The Government said that learning about drugs and alcohol at school is really important.
Smoking is a problem in Scotland. But the numbers of children and young people who smoke are coming down slowly. Scotland became the first part of the UK to ban smoking in enclosed public places.
The Government said one of the most important things that should
be done is to make sure no child lives in a family that is poor or homeless. New laws have made the situation better for families and children, but there is still a lot to do.