Child obesity ‘blackspots’ reveal extent of epidemic

Oct 23 2007 by Larry Neild, Liverpool Daily Post

OBESITY and the rising problems associated with overweight affecting thousands of Liverpool school-age children has now reached epidemic proportions, city councillors were told last night.

A map showing Liver-pool’s obesity blackspots was revealed as the Govern-ment announced measures to combat the growing problem of overweight children.

Data compiled by experts from Liverpool John Moores University was presented to the city council’s Childhood Obesity Scrutiny Group. It gave a breakdown of city areas where obesity is a problem.

Across the city, an aver-age 11% of boys and 10.3% of girls are obese, while 24% of boys and 23.4% of girls are overweight. Norris Green had the biggest problem, with 23.3% of boys obese, slightly ahead of the 22.6% of obese girls in Princes Park.

Picton also scored badly with 18.3% of girls and 15.8% of boys obese.

Old Swan tipped the scales with 56% of boys overweight. West Derby has the highest number of over-weight girls, 35.8%, follow-ed by Croxteth where 35.4% are overweight.

Boys in Allerton and Hunts Cross (26.9%) and Wavertree (27.4%) were well above the 24% city average, while girls in Anfield (32.7%), Princes Park (32.2%) and Warbreck (31.25%) scored high in the overweight chart.

Just one area of Liverpool – Church, which covers Childwall – had no boys with obesity problems.

Researchers at Sports-linx, part of Liverpool John Moores University, warned the prevalence of overweight and obesity has risen sharply in several areas of Liverpool. Fitness levels among children are also low across many areas.

Councillors were told at the committee last night that steps had to be taken to reduce health risks asso-ciated with poor fitness. “Areas of Liverpool should aim to reduce levels of obesity well below the average figure for the city to stem the obesity epi-demic in Liverpool,” the researchers warned.

The Government’s Department of Health is discussing plans under which parents will be warned if their children are found to be overweight

A spokeswoman said: “Tackling child obesity is a government priority and the weighing and measur-ing programme is an important element of this.”

larryneild