Guernsey Press

Progress on healthy weight strategy worryingly glacial

The impression of pecking at the edges rather than wholesale change is one that is reflected in the States initiative. Tackling an increasingly heavier population as the manifestation of the trend continues should be a priority for the States to put its weight behind

Published

SOMETIMES things just seem so simple.

You have identified the problem.

You have put a strategy in place to address it, and some key performance indicators to measure progress.

You have made a compelling case for action.

And yet.

There are some stark statistics out there when you look at healthy lifestyle indicators.

Nearly a third of nine- and ten-year-olds in Guernsey are overweight or obese – and there is a consistent trend that this problem doubles as they progress through school between Year 1 and Year 5.

Why?

Well, factors such as a 16% increase in pupils travelling to school by car, more and more time being spent staring at screens of mobile phones or iPads, only a quarter of pupils eat five portions of fruit or vegetables a day, all contribute.

Just over half of local adults are also overweight or obese, more than 5% have type-two diabetes.

Of the referrals to the States subsidised LifeFit classes, 16% were directly attributed to obesity.

And it is all largely preventable.

Maintaining a healthy weight is so often simply a combination of remaining active and eating well – but there are social and environmental factors that become a perceived barrier to that.

Guernsey, just like much of the western world, is paying the costs of obesity in terms of healthcare and wider social issues, even down to needing to build a bigger cremator to cope.

In March last year the States agreed a healthy weight strategy, promising in many ways to do something for very little.

It spoke of setting up an independent body to drive the strategy and suck in funding from the private sector to help get the job done.

In 2015, the budget allocation was £145,840. Last term the States turned down an amendment to give it a funding boost.

Given the whole ethos of the transformation of the health service is designed around prevention, that seems like an absolute pittance.

As of yet, the only word we've had from HSC about the independent body was in June to say that a 'shadow board to coordinate the delivery of the Healthy Weight Strategy, with representation from Policy & Resources, Health & Social Care and the Community Foundation, has been established and proposals put forward.'

Given that everyone knows how serious this issue is, and there are plenty of ideas of what needs to be done to address it, this progress is worryingly glacial.

Work is already being done, ticking along, but it gives the impression of nibbling at the edges rather than wholesale change, another States strategy that is good on paper but lacks the momentum it truly deserves.

And you have had some mixed messages coming out too – including Education, Sport & Culture initially wanting to drop work on a sports strategy, which is one element that would seem to fit in to this puzzle so neatly.

Another of the areas being investigated is a sugar tax.

No one likes paying more tax, but there is no doubt that hitting tobacco has had a dramatic impact on the prevalence of smoking.

A report in Jersey last week said that it was spending £42m. on obesity related treatment – Guernsey will mirror that proportionally– and its health department has recommended a sugar tax.

We have been promised an update on whether Guernsey will move down this route in the next Budget.

Given that the opportunity is there to eat healthy and make healthy choices and yet obesity levels are still on the rise, the argument is strong that the stick is needed to wean people off their sugar rush.

Of course, the blame cannot all be placed on government for people's lifestyle choices.

Government is there to remove the barriers, to make choices easier, but at the end of the day there is individual responsibility too.

Sometimes it might just take one spark of inspiration to turn things around.

Last week the community embraced Epic Challenges.

Two individuals, Philip Smith and Warren Mauger, were the spark with their attempt at seven Ironman triathlons in seven days, but all around that was a hub of people involved in pushing their own limits in different ways.

What many found is those limits are further than they could ever have imagined, but without the impetus the week provided they would never have known.

It can literally be a life changer.

Perhaps the biggest mark made is within the schools that embraced the week too, sowing seeds among the children that will hopefully be with them for life.

Hopefully this non-governmental initiative, and others like it, including the 30 in 30 days, will grow and grow.

It is well understood that preventing obesity gaining more of a foothold and then driving levels down is a must.

You can already count the financial costs in terms of healthcare, the costs to the economy in terms of sick days, see the social costs and add to that the personal and mental costs of those affected.

It is time for some real impetus to be put into this issue, otherwise there is a danger that being obese becomes the acceptable new normality.

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