There is no data to suggest that one factor is contributing to the results more than any other, but Public Health said the update should help, including collecting data on a number of factors that could be linked with excess weight. It added that it was hard to pin down a precise reason for the trends seen through previous surveys.
‘Most of the factors that determine how healthy people are arise from the conditions in which we are born, grow, learn, work, live and age,’ it said.
‘It is therefore not possible to pinpoint a single factor that is driving an increase in childhood obesity.’
But it was clear that Guernsey was not an outlier in this trend.
‘Our children and young people live in environments which can make it challenging to stay active and which promote the consumption of foods high in fat, salt and sugar.’
It was also found that there were higher levels of overweight and obesity among Year 5 children at non-fee paying schools, but Public Health said that this could not be taken as an indication of inequality as looking at fee-paying and non fee-paying schools was ‘a somewhat crude measure’ in the absence of detailed deprivation data, which the island does not have.
However, this did not reflect on the particular activities at the schools.
‘Measurement of a proxy for deprivation does not seek to link weight status findings with particular activities schools are or are not doing, but rather the broader environments and conditions in which children grow up,’ it said.
‘Those from more affluent backgrounds tend to have better health outcomes – this is true for many different measures.’
Efforts to address the situation are being made by the Health Improvement Commission, through its Eat Well, Be Active and Weight Management programmes, said Public Health.
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