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Healthy Family<br />
(In association with Public Health England)<br />
Dr Justin Varney,<br />
Interim Deputy<br />
Director for Health<br />
and Wellbeing<br />
(Healthy People)<br />
from Public Health<br />
England, gives us<br />
an insight into the<br />
current state of the health of<br />
the average UK family.<br />
The state of the<br />
nation’s health<br />
Obesity, poor diet and physical<br />
activity are three of the biggest<br />
problems to affect the health of<br />
families in England. They are<br />
directly responsible for many of<br />
the preventable conditions such as<br />
type two diabetes, heart disease,<br />
stroke and kidney disease that are<br />
impacting on people’s lives and<br />
causing early death.<br />
Around 40% of ill health in this<br />
country could be prevented by<br />
people leading a healthy lifestyle,<br />
including eating a balanced diet<br />
and being regularly active to<br />
improve the quality and length of<br />
our lives. We know that choices<br />
made about diet and exercise at<br />
every age can make a difference<br />
to health in both the short and<br />
<strong>lo</strong>ng term. Fundamentally it’s<br />
never too late to make a change.<br />
Supporting individuals and<br />
families to make a healthy choice<br />
is at the heart of Public Health<br />
England’s (PHE) mission.<br />
Obesity<br />
Obesity and being overweight<br />
is a complex problem and is<br />
one of the biggest health issues<br />
facing families in England today.<br />
People rarely become overweight<br />
overnight; obesity is the result of<br />
bad choices made repeatedly over<br />
time, the extra sugar cube in the<br />
daily cup of tea, the treat cakes<br />
that become everyday habits, the<br />
sugary drink that undoes all the<br />
hard work from the swimming<br />
pool, the sofa day that becomes<br />
supper in front of the TV every<br />
night. These everyday habits can<br />
lead to piling on the pounds and<br />
it’s this gradual weight gain that<br />
makes it so hard for families and<br />
parents particularly to step in<br />
early. There is no single ‘silver<br />
bullet’ solution to tackling obesity.<br />
Today 1 in 4 people in England<br />
are obese and over a third (37%)<br />
are overweight. We know that<br />
almost one in ten 4-5 year olds<br />
are obese (9.5%) and by age<br />
10-11 this doubles to nearly one<br />
in five (19.1%). Obese children<br />
are more likely to experience<br />
bullying, <strong>lo</strong>w self-esteem, anxiety,<br />
depression and have a higher risk<br />
of deve<strong>lo</strong>ping type 2 diabetes and<br />
heart disease as adults.<br />
Many of us who struggle<br />
with weight issues know that<br />
getting back to a healthy weight<br />
is a journey that takes time and<br />
continued support from family and<br />
friends. Families working together<br />
to make healthier choices is a<br />
great way to help anyone deal<br />
with weight issues, whatever their<br />
age, and make it fun and part of<br />
everyday life.<br />
Simple steps to improve the<br />
family diet and get everyone more<br />
active every day will help the<br />
whole family achieve and maintain<br />
a healthy weight.<br />
Diet<br />
Tackling our high sugar<br />
consumption is an area of<br />
particular focus for PHE. The<br />
Scientific Advisory Committee on<br />
Nutrition (SACN), an independent<br />
expert body, has <strong>lo</strong>oked at the<br />
link between sugar consumption<br />
and a range of health issues,<br />
and found that too much sugar<br />
is detrimental for health. It now<br />
recommends that no more than<br />
5% of our daily ca<strong>lo</strong>ries should<br />
come from sugar, down from the<br />
previous recommendation of 10%.<br />
The government has adopted<br />
this as official dietary guidance<br />
which now means adults are<br />
now consuming over double the<br />
amount of sugar, and children<br />
and teenagers almost three times<br />
as much.<br />
The latest statistics from the<br />
National Diet and Nutrition<br />
Survey (NDNS) showed that<br />
sugary drinks are the largest<br />
contributor to sugar intake in<br />
teenagers. Twenty nine percent<br />
of the sugar in teenagers’ diets<br />
comes from sugary drinks (16%<br />
for younger children 4 to 10<br />
years), one in three five-year olds<br />
have tooth decay.<br />
Parents and carers can help<br />
their children achieve and<br />
maintain a healthier weight by<br />
fol<strong>lo</strong>wing a balanced diet as<br />
shown in the eat well plate,<br />
choosing ‘me sized’ meals,<br />
avoiding sugary drinks and snacks<br />
high in sugar, salt or fat. Too<br />
much fat or sugar contributes<br />
towards excess ca<strong>lo</strong>rie intake,<br />
which overtime can lead to<br />
weight gain. continues on p10<br />
8<br />
Primary Times MAY HALF TERM Issue | www.primarytimes.net/nyorks