We’re home to country’s fattest kids

BY HATTIE BREWIS

toby@slpmedia.co.uk

Southwark is the worst place in England for childhood obesity.

A report published by Public Health England said that four of the 10 wards with the highest childhood obesity levels in the country are in Southwark, and six of the 10 are in South London.

Lambeth and Croydon are both above the London and national average for childhood obesity, while Wandsworth falls marginally below.

Excess weight levels in England for children aged 10-11 are 33 per cent, and the average in London is 37.4 per cent.

Almost 40 per cent of Year 6 pupils are overweight in Lambeth and Croydon, which drops to just under 33 per cent in Wandsworth.

Southwark levels have reached 43 per cent for this age group – the highest in the country.

Lambeth councillor Jim Dickson has acknowledged the role authorities play in shaping good habits. Last year he said: “It’s up to councils – with our responsibilities for public and environmental health, planning, leisure and recreation – to hold the ring on action to promote healthy eating and encourage healthy weight.

“We have the ability to influence food and drink offers in our buildings, leisure centres, libraries and other commissioned services. We set standards for school meals and provide free breakfasts. We can ban new fast outlets near schools as we have done in Lambeth.”

Obesity is a condition where a person has built up so much body fat that it increases their risk of health problems, such as Type 2 diabetes or heart disease. If a person’s body weight is at least 20 per cent higher than it should be for their height, he or she is considered to be obese.

A spokesman for Southwark Clinical Commissioning Group, the body in charge of healthcare services within the borough, said: “Tackling obesity is a top priority in Southwark, and together with the local authority we are providing effective support to help adults, children and families maintain a healthy weight throughout their lives.”

Local health services in the area have introduced a range of initiatives to reduce childhood obesity among its residents, focusing on schools and early years.

“Healthy physical activity and eating habits are developed early in life and can set the foundation for life-long behaviours and disease risk,” Southwark Health and Wellbeing Board said in its 2016-2021 Healthy Weight Strategy.

Southwark schools also provide free fruit to all children aged four to 11. Southwark is also drawing up a Sport and Physical Activity Strategy which will include a programme of work to support physical activity and play in early years.

A spokesman for Lambeth council said: “Obesity is a public health challenge for all of us and we’re committed to working with all our partners and communities to tackle the problem and its causes.

“In Lambeth, we’ve had a ‘whole systems approach’ to addressing childhood obesity in place for some time and are the only council in the country to have shown a consistent reduction in overweight children at Year 6 during the past seven years.

“Promotion of breastfeeding, a well-designed schools healthy weight programme and work with frontline staff to deliver messages on eating and lifestyles have – according to a recent Public Health England evaluation – all played a key role in turning the tide on childhood obesity in Lambeth.

“Our Food Flagship Partnership has started shaping a healthy food system for local residents, sustaining improvements in school meals, making healthy eating more affordable and expanding food growing across Lambeth including in GPs’ surgeries. Schemes such as the healthy eating voucher scheme and Norwood’s Community Shop have seen Lambeth named as London’s No1 borough for fighting food poverty.

“Lambeth has banned new fast food outlets near schools – and we were the first council in the country to sign up to the Local Government Declaration on Sugar Reduction and Healthier Food.”

The Department of Health used the work done in Lambeth, which is a Food Flagship borough, as a model for its national childhood obesity plan.

Croydon Council spokesperson said: “Croydon has a growing and diverse population with many complex needs. Croydon Council is working with schools, organisations and the wider community to reduce childhood obesity and support residents to be healthier.

“This includes restricting the opening of unhealthy hot food takeaways in close proximity to schools and open spaces. Our EatWell Croydon initiative works with local food business to increase healthier options for customers and change the way food is prepared to reduce salt, sugar and fat content.

“The Croydon Food Flagship programme, funded by the council, Mayor London and Department of Health, delivered cooking and food growing projects which resulted in healthier school menus and more children eating school meals.

“Croydon has a successful Healthy Schools Programme supporting children to make healthy food choices and be more active. A number of schools are also involved in The Daily Mile, which gets pupils walking, jogging or running for 15 minutes each day.

“Our health website for residents at www.JustBeCroydon.org offers tips and advice to maintain a healthy weight and move more, as well as helping people make positive changes in other areas of their lives.

“We have also joined celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s SUGAR SMART campaign to increase awareness of the adverse health risks of consuming too much sugar. In addition, the council has signed the Local Government Declaration on Sugar Reduction and Healthier Food ”