MORE than a quarter of reception pupils and nearly a third of year six pupils in the area are overweight, with many ranked as obese - and the situation is getting worse.

Results from a new report show the number of overweight and obese pupils has broadly increased in these both age groups.

The findings paint a worrying picture for the future of children’s health in Weymouth and Portland, say local figures, who have vowed that tackling childhood obesity is a ‘top priority’.

The research reveals: - More than a quarter of reception pupils in Weymouth and Portland (27.8 per cent) are overweight or obese compared to the national average of 22.6 per cent.

- Of this, nearly a sixth of Weymouth and Portland’s reception pupils (16.2 per cent) are overweight and (11.6 per cent) were obese, which are both above the national averages of 13.1 per cent and 9.5 per cent respectively.

- In addition to statistics for reception pupils, the survey also highlighted the fact that almost a third of year six pupils in the borough (32.8 per cent) are overweight or obese, which although lower than the national average of 33.5 per cent, still raises concerns.

- Almost 20 per cent of year six pupils were classed as obese, 14 per cent of pupils were classified as overweight.

In West Dorset, nearly a quarter (24.6 per cent) of the area’s reception pupils are overweight or obese.

- Of this figure, more than one in seven (14.7 per cent) reception pupils are overweight and another one in ten (9.9 per cent) are obese.

- The problem gets worse as children get older. By the time they are in year six, more than one in four West Dorset children are overweight or obese.

- Of this figure, 13.6 per cent are overweight and more than one in seven (14.5 per cent) are obese.

The Health and Social Care Information Centre’s Child Measurement Programme is a school-based scheme that weighs and measures children in reception and year six across local authority areas in England on an annual basis.

As part of the study, 653 reception pupils and 579 year six pupils living in the borough were measured.

According to the National Obesity Forum, more than 12,000 hospital appointments a year are now for obesity-related conditions, and it’s been predicted that as many as half the UK population could be obese by 2050.

It’s estimated that obesity-related illness costs the NHS more than £5bn every year. The government has pledged to try and reverse the epidemic by 2020.

The findings for Weymouth and Portland have raised concern amongst councillors, who say they are working to reduce the number of overweight and obese children in the borough.


Councillor Lucy Hamilton, Weymouth and Portland's representative on the Dorset Health and Wellbeing Board, said tackling childhood obesity is a 'top priority'.
“Childhood obesity is a key predictor for long-term health. What's essential is for everyone to work together [because] it's everybody's business,” she said.
Cllr Hamilton added green spaces were vital in promoting health and wellbeing, saying: “At the recent workshops on the Town Centre Masterplan, residents said how important green spaces in the town centre are and I hope that we can promote pedestrian and cycle routes as part of the plan.”


CouncillorColin Jamieson, Dorset County Council's cabinet member for Public Health and the Community, said: “We want to see figures fall, and will continue to work to tackle excess weight in people of all ages.
“Councillors and staff from local authorities and partners across Dorset will be meeting throughout this year to look at what else can be done to tackle obesity across the county.


“There are a number of factors that contribute to obesity, such as diet and lack of exercise, but there is support for parents to help with this, including the national Change4Life programme.”


A NUMBER of initiatives have been set up in a bid to reverse the growing number of overweight or obese children in the borough.


Working With You, a partnership initiative between the council and local communities including Littlemoor, Melcombe Regis, Portland Underhill and Westham, was set up in January last year and supports community projects.


One of the groups supported by the scheme is Fizz, which provides communal walking and cycling sessions for children and their families in Weymouth, Portland and Dorchester.
Organiser Jacky Freedman said events have been running for more than two years and have seen more than 700 people attend: “Having fun with the kids and getting some exercise at the same time is our focus,” she said.


“We try to aim the scheme at people that don't usually exercise, for example people in flats, single parents, parents who don't have cars.


“Their aspiration would be to get out of the house and go up to Dorchester and with the group tickets we bought, they could afford it.


“We also show them places on their doorstep, such as Radipole RSPB nature reserve walks, and how to use public transport to get to fairly local places cheaply.”


Jacky added: “We have seen a shift in culture amongst our parents - from fizzy drinks, cigarette stops and unhealthy diets - to pre-packed healthier picnics and less fizzy drinks.
“We always pick outings with something for the kids to do and parents go back and re-visit these places once they know about them. Some parents are now going to train to be walk leaders.”


Other groups like the Friendly Food Club, run by Dorset resident Tony Gibbons for more than nine years, helps people to improve their family's health by giving them cooking and nutrition skills through positive, informal cookery workshops.
Tony said of the project: “Obesity is one of the scourges of our time and is usually associated with people who don't care about their health, eat junk food, lie in front of the telly all day and don't want to work.


“I have been working with people for a long time now and it's not like that - while many are overweight and can't cook, it is lack of knowledge and confidence that holds them back.”
He said of the work the project does: “Learning to cook does its bit to help obesity and budgeting problems but that's only half the story.


“The people I work with need to be shown some respect, they need to be shown that they can all achieve something.
“The only way to change people's minds is through love or understanding, not imposing, preaching and lecturing with gloves, charts and white coats.


“Cookery is a wonderful way of doing this, and you only need to see the face of one girl who made an omelette for the first time to see that.”


If you would like to find out more about healthy eating, recipe ideas and portion sizes for your family, you can visit nhs.uk/livewell/goodfood and noaw.org.uk/children-young-people for information and advice