Dr' David Walker

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Promoting Healthy Weight in the East Midlands

• Dr. David Walker
• Regional Director of Public Health for the East
  Midlands

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Obesity is growing at an alarming rate, with a
significant impact on individuals, our National
Health Service and society as a whole
UK Foresight report By 2050, 60 of men, 50
of women could be clinically obese and 90 of
Children will be overweight and obese
Health impact of obesity 58 type-2 diabetes 21
of heart disease 10 of non-smoking related
cancers 9,000 premature deaths a year in
England Reduces life expectancy by 9-11
years. Costs of obesity National Health Service
- 4.2bn Wider economy - 15.8bn Foresight
estimate costs to economy of 50bn by 2050
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The Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives Ambition

• Our ambition is to be the first major nation to
  reverse the rising tide of obesity and overweight
  in the population by ensuring that everyone is
  able to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
  Our initial focus will be on children by 2020,
  we aim to reduce the proportion of overweight and
  obese children to 2000 levels

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The East Midlands Challenge

• The Health Survey for England 2006 showed that
• 19 of children in the EM aged 2-15 were obese
  compared with the national average of 17.3
• 18 of girls aged 2-15 in the East Midlands were
  obese compared with the national average of 14.7
• 32 of children in the East Midlands are
  overweight or obese compared with the national
  average of 28.7

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The East Midlands Challenge
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The East Midlands Challenge- NCMP
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Obesity Trends in Adults

• Levels of adult obesity are higher in the
  East Midlands than the national average and this
  has been a consistent trend in recent years

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Obesity Trends in Adults
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Obesity Trends in Adults
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Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives Themes

• 5 Themes
• Children Healthy Growth and Healthy Weight
• Promoting Healthier food choices
• Building physical activity into our lives
• Creating incentives for better health
• Personalised Advise and support

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Regional Healthy Weight Healthy Lives Priorities

• To promote the healthy growth of children through
  making breastfeeding the norm and implementing
  UNICEF BFI. (Theme 1)
• To inform parents and schools that children can
  and should be more physically active, eat a
  healthy diet and prevent obesity, and that
  schools have a part to play in this. (Theme 1)
• Increased industry promotion of healthier food
  choices. (Theme 2)
• To influence the planning and transport agenda to
  regard physical activity as an integral aspect of
  future work with the ultimate aim of reducing car
  usage. (Theme 3)

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Regional Priorities cont.

• To deliver the National Plan for Physical
  Activity through the delivery system for physical
  activity. (Theme 3)
• To empower employees to understand about
  healthier options available and to then demand
  better provisions from their place of work.
  (Theme 4)
• To widen the numbers and types of staff that can
  play a role in identifying and signpost referring
  overweight and obese individuals into appropriate
  services. (Theme 5)