Agenda item

            The Board received a report from the Director of Public Health, which provided an update of levels of childhood obesity in Halton, as recorded through the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP). The NCMP involved school nurses measuring the height and weight of all children in reception (aged 4 – 5) and year 6 (aged 10 – 11) annually. Using these figures the child’s body mass index was calculated and this provided a measure of the proportion of children who were overweight or obese in these individual year groups.  Paragraph 3.4 of the report highlighted that the NCMP would report the percentage of children who were of ‘excess weight’, incorporating both the number of children who were overweight and the number who were obese, this would simplify the interpretation of results.

            It was reported that in Halton there had been an extensive programme working with both schools and early year settings to reduce the levels of childhood obesity. This included the school Fit4Life Programme which tackled overweight and had impacted on year 6 obesity rates. The Fit4Life programme targeted schools with the highest obesity rates. It offered education for teachers and children and their parents in cooking, healthy eating and the importance of exercise. Data from the programme indicated that for participating schools the Fit4life programme reduced the level of excess weight by approximately a third.  In addition, the following programmes were also offered in Halton:

·         Healthitude which linked the personal, social and health education curriculum and had a healthy eating component to it;

·         Healthy Early Years Programme (Fit4life) for children aged up to five and their families;

·         Children’s Centres and Early Years Providers continued to work to meet the Healthy Early Years standards;

·         The development of an Infant Feeding Team and weaning services; and

·         The national programme to increase the number of Health Visitors.

            Members were advised that the data gathered for 2011/12 indicated reductions in the levels of excess weight in both reception and year 6  children when compared to 2010/11 figures.  The rates of children who were obese and overweight in reception and year 6 had reduced in 2011/12 in all measures with the exception of the number of year 6 children who were overweight.  However, evidence from staff running the Fit4life Programme in schools suggested that one of the reasons for the increase in the number of children in year 6 who were overweight, was as a result of obese children successfully losing weight and moving to the overweight category.  It was noted that for the first time since NCMP had started, Halton had rates of obesity that were similar to the England average for all measures and ages.  For a more detailed analysis, the Board was referred to the full NCMP report which was attached at Appendix one.

            RESOLVED: That the Board

1.    note progress in reducing levels of excess weight (overweight and obese) in children in Halton from 28.4% in 2010/11 to 23.1% in 2011/12 for children in reception and from 37.5% in 2010/11 to 34.5% in 2011/12 in year 6 children;

2.    note that children in Halton were now at the same weight as the England average;

3.    note the impact of the Halton Healthy Early Years Standards and schools “Fit4life” Programme; and

4.      note that in the future, performance reporting against this outcome would change to a measure of “excess weight” (which included both children who were overweight and children who were obese).