Being overweight ‘is becoming the norm’ Telford health chief warns
Becoming overweight has almost become the norm in the UK, the director of public health for Telford and Wrekin has said.
But Liz Noakes said action needs to be taken by the people of Telford to battle expanding waistlines.
The council's cabinet endorsed the annual public health report outlining the issues with excess weight and obesity at a cabinet meeting.
It will now consider ways the borough can reduce the rate of people suffering with obesity and excess weight.
Figures from the report show that one in four children age four to five were obese or carrying excess weight, equalling 510 children in Telford & Wrekin.
This is along with one in three 10 to 11-year-olds, equalling 670 children, and two in three adults, equal to 87,000 people across the borough, in line with the national average for adults.
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The figures show there is a higher proportion of overweight children in Telford & Wrekin than the national average.
In an attempt to shed the borough's health problem, the report summaries 40 high level actions that the council will prioritise with different partners over the next 12 months.
The actions include 24 recommendations for key partners, which include greater access to healthy food, active travel, development in early years and school settings and involving businesses in local action to reduce obesity.
Focus
Liz Noakes, director of public health in Telford & Wrekin, said: "We always focus on the problem obesity and excess weight causes on the NHS, but it's also the problems it causes to us on a wider basis in local society and our report looks at those issues in Telford & Wrekin.
"Action needs to be taken on a national level, a borough level and an individual level, and the report covers what is currently being done and what can be done.
"There is no one cause and no one solution, so we absolutely must come together to take action."
The council said it must be ready with proactive initiatives to implement in schools using the money raised from the recently imposed sugar levy tax.
This comes after the government have also announced a consultation on fast food advertisements to children before the 9pm watershed.
Councillor Paul Watling, cabinet member for children's and adults' early help and support, said the correlation between poorer families in Telford & Wrekin and obesity is a worrying issue.
"The concern I have got is how we make sure that we're offering the right kind of support to families on low incomes and benefits.
"We are doing this through certain schemes at the moment but we need to be able to provide families with the right kind of support to ensure they can afford to maintain their children's health.
"But there is definitely a corelation between poor health and poorer families."