Cambridge County Council to develop obesity strategy

Cambridge County Council has launched a six week consultation to help develop a healthy weight strategy, after figures showed one in five residents were obese.

The local authority has called on communities and local organisations to share their views and ideas to help create a strategy to reduce unhealthy weight locally.

Data showed that 63.6 per cent of adults in Cambridgeshire do not have a healthy weight and over one in five are obese. In school children, almost 20 per cent aged 4-5 are overweight or obese rising to 27 per cent amongst those aged 10-11.

In a statement, the council warned that excess weight in childhood often continues in to adulthood, while being overweight increases the risk of developing serious diseases including diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer.

Val Thomas, consultant in Public Health at Cambridgeshire County Council said:  “The reasons for people having an unhealthy weight are very complex. We will not succeed in increasing the number of people who have a healthy weight and decreasing the risks to their health unless individuals, communities and organisations work together. It is important that people locally have their say, share their understanding of the issue and ideas about how we tackle this growing problem.”

Individuals and organisations can contribute to the strategy by submitting their views via an online survey: www.smartsurvey.co.uk