Agenda item

This paper provides an overview of the situation regarding healthy weight in York, with a particular focus on children. It gives information about the national resources produced to tackle childhood obesity and draws on experience from other countries.  It provides and update on work to date in York.

Members considered a report that provided an overview of the situation regarding healthy weight in York, with a particular focus on children. It provided information on the national resources produced to tackle childhood obesity and highlighted experience from other countries.

The Assistant Director of Public Health and the Public Health Specialist Practitioner Advanced attended the meeting to provide an update and answer questions raised.

Members were informed that:

·        Body mass index (BMI) was a widely used method to check for a healthy weight but was not used to diagnose obesity. It was useful as a population measure to give an indication of prevalence of obesity.

·        Following the 2019/20 survey, around 60% of the adult population in York were currently classified as overweight or obese and around 1 in 5 reception aged children (225 children) and around 1 in 3 Year 6 children (245 children) were classified as overweight.

·        A recent analysis of childhood obesity found that prevalence of obesity was generally highest in the most deprived wards of Westfield, Clifton and Guildhall. Children from Black ethnic minority groups and boys in York were also found to have higher rates of obesity.

·        Mothers who were overweight or obese had increased risk of complications during pregnancy and birth.

·        It was a reasonable assumption to expect that rates of obesity would rise due to the pandemic and that this would be seen when the data was available.

·        Excess weight gain occurs when energy intake (food eaten) regularly exceeds energy burnt although the inequalities seen in obesity were more complex. The environment people lived in had a huge impact on their ability to be able to make healthy food choices and the resources showed that those unhealthy food environments were more prevalent in the more deprived areas.

·        Approximately only half of UK households had a food budget that could meet the costs of the government’s healthy eating guidelines.

·        No area in the UK had seen a sustained reduction in obesity rates in adults or children and people in more deprived areas reported lower levels of physical activity than average.

·        Amsterdam was recognised as having had success of tackling childhood obesity. Studies looking into why Amsterdam were successful highlighted three key aspects of their programme, leadership, doing things differently and taking a multifaceted approach.

·        A Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives Strategy was produced in 2018 and a Healthy Weight Steering Group was established. The Healthy Weight Steering Group oversaw the implementation of the strategy which also included; mental health, a tiered pathway for treatment of obesity and the implementation of a new programme called HENRY (health, exercise, nutrition for the really young). The HENRY programme would support families with children aged five and below.

·        The Council was developing their own Food Strategy, which would have strong links to the Financial Inclusion and

had also signed up to the Healthy Weight Declaration in 2020.

Members noted that this was a complex issue that required a multi-agency collaborative approach and in answer to their questions, the Assistant Director confirmed that:

·        Officers had not engaged with national supermarkets regarding healthy eating campaigns but had engaged with local food banks through the Food Strategy Network. They would also support schools to promote healthy eating and physical activity as part of the curriculum.

·         There would be various pathways in place to support healthy eating in York and although the Healthy Weight Declaration had been impacted by Covid, it had been agreed that advertising space would not be used for products that were high in fat, salt and sugar. Regionally, with the support of Public Health England, officers would work with the charity Sustain to also promote this work.

·        Through the Healthy Weight Declaration, there was a commitment to support responsible retailing and it was an aspiration to develop a Healthy Food Award Scheme for York. 

·        Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) were part of the Healthy Weight Steering Group and discussions would take place regarding the Physical Activity Strategy which would focus on sport opportunities in York.

·        The HENRY programme was being tested and would initially be referred through professional referral routes to begin with. 

Members thanked officers for their report.

Resolved:

(i)           That the report be noted.

(ii)         That a report be provided, later in the year, on the progress and impact of the HENRY programme.

Resolved: To keep Members updated on Public Health’s responsibilities regarding obesity.