Obesity

The UK has seen dramatic increases in childhood obesity in recent years. Foresight’s report, Tackling Obesities: Future Choices, predicts that 25% of children will be obese by 2050 unless action is taken to change current trends.

Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: A Cross-Government Strategy for England - a new £372 million strategy to help everyone lead healthier lives, was published on 23 January 2008 by Alan Johnson, Health Secretary, and Ed Balls the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families.

The Government's strategy supports the creation of a healthy society - from early years, to schools and food, from sport and physical activity to planning, transport and the health service.

The Government has set itself the aim of being the first major country to reverse the rising tide of obesity and overweight in the population by ensuring that all individuals are able to maintain a healthy weight. The initial focus is on children: by 2020 the Government aims to reduce the proportion of overweight and obese children to 2000 levels, and this is reflected in the new Public Service Agreement, PSA12 : Improve the health and well-being of children and young people, announced in September 2007. This target will be supported by a programme of action to help children and their families have healthy lifestyles.

Role of Sure Start Children’s Centres

Sure Start Children’s Centres have a key role to play in tackling obesity by addressing potential problems early on. Children’s centres are well placed to:

Offer information on diet and nutrition
Demonstrate good practice by providing healthy food
Organise physical activity and active play
Promote breastfeeding (there are good indications that breastfeeding is a preventative factor against obesity)
Provide one-to-one support where extra help is needed

More detail is given in the ‘Reducing obesity’ chapter in the revised Sure Start Children’s Centre Practice guidance.

National Child Measurement Programme

The National Child Measurement Programme is a key part of the government's work to tackle obesity. The programme aims to record the height and weight of all children in Reception and Year 6 in primary schools in England.

Over time, the Reception year data can act as a good guide to the impact children’s centres are having on obesity. The Planning and Performance Management guidance sets out that children’s centres should consider a performance indicator for obesity, and the data provided by the National Child Measurement Programme presents an ideal opportunity to progress this.

Click to download the Planning and Performance Management guidance.