Almost a third of children aged between four and five in Caerphilly County Borough are either overweight or obese, according to a new report by Public Health Wales.
The findings are from a national programme which measures children’s Body Mass Index (BMI) – a calculation involving a person’s height and weight.
The Caerphilly figures reflect a national trend of obesity in children.
The results show that 71.8% of children across Wales during 2011/12 had a body mass index classed as healthy. In Caerphilly that figure was 71%.
Seventeen percent of boys in Caerphilly are overweight with 13% obese, while 15% of girls are overweight and 13% obese.
Overall, out of Wales’ 22 local authorities, Caerphilly was ranked ninth in terms of overweight and obese children.
The highest levels of overweight and obese children was in Merthyr Tydfil (34%) and Rhondda Cynon Taf (32%) while the lowest were in Monmouthshire (22%) and the Vale of Glamorgan (25%).
The prevalence of overweight and obese children in Wales at 28% was higher than England (23%) and higher than any individual English region.
Dr Ciarán Humphreys, consultant in public health for Public Health Wales, said: “This is the first time we have had a clear picture of the how children in Wales are growing and although the headline figures are worrying, this is something that can be reversed.
“We must have a response from all sectors in society including health, education and local communities themselves to ensure our children are able to adopt healthy lifestyles.
“This can be anything from making our communities more pedestrian and bicycle friendly to reducing access to unhealthy fast food near schools.
“As with most health risks, the sooner they are tackled the easier they are to address and the greater the long term benefits.
“On an individual level, programmes such as Change4Life which aims to help us all, but especially our kids, eat well, move more and live longer and provides tips and ideas to support parents who wish to make healthy lifestyle choices for their families.
“The MEND programme is another way that parents and children can be supported through education and advice. The ten week after-school programmes are targeted at helping children who are above the healthy weight for their age and height, to become fitter and healthier with the support of their parents or carers.
“Encouraging healthy eating and regular exercise at a young age provides children with an excellent start and helps them grow up to be healthy adults.”
A key part of the Child Measurement Programme is the standardisation of the measurement of children. Dr Ciarán Humphreys explained: “Prior to the Programme, children were measured in different ways and in different times of the year which meant that it was difficult to compare areas of Wales.
“For the first time we have data on childhood obesity at a local level across Wales to measure our progress against this important public health issue.
“This has been a transition year and it is recognised that not all the standards were met in full but we are happy that the results provide an meaningful picture of Wales.
“We hope that in the future there will be opportunities to repeat the measurements with older children so we can build a more comprehensive picture.”
Dr Ruth Hussey, Chief Medical Officer for Wales, said: “I welcome this first report on the growth of children at school entry across Wales. Having good information is the basis for effective action on healthy child growth and to reduce childhood obesity. This report provides a baseline from which we can monitor our progress as a nation and more locally, into the future. Together, we must work for a healthy, active and resilient community in Wales where all children have the best start in life.
“We have made some steps forward in Wales, such as the Flying Start early years programme, Change4Life campaign and the Welsh Network of Healthy School Schemes, which has now extended to pre-school settings; as well as working at the UK level on issues such as front-of-pack food labelling. The Welsh Government is committed to support healthy growth and reduce obesity through a range of actions, particularly on the root causes such as poverty.”
How lucky are we to have such a luxurious kind of poverty that makes our poor people fat. In a world where frugal living and healthy eating are the preserve of the rich. We should pity these urchins as they fill their little fat faces with burgers and chips, mountains of crisps and rivers of coke. For if only they could afford a carrot!
Maybe we should spend less on labour party doctors of quackery and more on cabbages, red cabbages naturally.