Primary Times Oxfordshire May 16

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