Three in five adults in Hertfordshire are overweight, councillors told

Almost one in three children in Hertfordshire are overweight or obese by the time they are 11-years-old, councillors have been told.

And in the county’s wider adult population, three in five adults – just over 60 per cent – are either overweight or living with obesity.

The data was recently reported to a panel of county councillors during a full-day scrutiny focussed on obesity.

They heard that obesity can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, type two diabetes, cancer and osteoarthritis,

And – as well as reducing the number of years of good health – severe obesity can reduce life expectancy by 10 years.

However at the meeting councillors heard that obesity was ‘not simply a result of energy intake exceeding energy expenditure’.

They were asked to consider ‘drivers’ of weight gain including genetics, biology, behaviour and the environment, as well as economic and commercial factors.

They also heard that no single intervention could ‘solve’ the problem and heard about the merits of a ‘whole system approach’.

Pointing to the complexity in the causes of obesity, director of public health Sarah Perman stressed it wasn’t ‘just a personal issue’.

She highlighted the role of genetic, psychological, environmental, commercial and societal factors – stressing that it could not be seen as a failure of healthy lifestyles.

And she told councillors: “There is no single solution which we can apply here.

“And that is why we talk about a whole systems approach to obesity – which needs to involve a wide range of stakeholders and organisations, playing their part to bring about long-term change.”

Among the range of measures highlighted to councillors, was the work of the adult weight management service, Beezee Bodies and the Herts Sports Partnership.

They also heard about the role of planning policy in designing ‘healthy places’ – and the way policies could be used to limit the number of fast food outlets in particular areas.

Ultimately the panel came up with four ‘emerging’ recommendations, based on the evidence, that will be finalised following the meeting.

Among them was the need to engage communities with effective programmes and to work with local health care systems to understand the needs of the community and tailor responses to weight management and healthy lifestyle accordingly.

In addition they said there needs to be an awareness of what is happening system-wide – to understand what services are available and to ensure health care practitioners and others are linking to services.

And the final emerging recommendation focussed on the role of prevention – in embedding better behaviours for healthy living among our residents.

Commenting on the scrutiny, Conservative Cllr Richard Thake – who chaired the panel – said the implications of obesity on peoples health were vast.

He acknowledged the huge burden on the NHS as a result. And he said it was vital to put effective prevention measures in place.

“Public health sits within the county council and clearly we have got to take a leading role in terms of asking partners to deliver effective measures to stem this rising tide of obesity,” he said.