There is still time for members of the public to share their views on the factors that influence a child’s weight in a countywide consultation.
Residents have until Friday 14 September to comment on the Supporting Children to Achieve and Maintain a Healthy Weight consultation as part of a joint review by Durham County Council and NHS partners.
The consultation, which began in July, is an opportunity for people to tell us what factors they think help children to maintain a healthy weight and ensure overweight youngsters and their families have the support they need.
Rates of overweight and obese children in the county remain significantly worse than those for England as a whole, with 24.1 per cent of four to five-year-olds falling into these categories in 2016/17. This is higher than the average for England, 22.6 per cent, and equates to about 1,400 children or 46 classrooms.
Among ten to 11-year-olds, 37.7 per cent were overweight or obese, compared to the England average of 34.2 per cent. This means around 2,000 children aged ten to 11 or 67 classrooms across the county are overweight or obese.
Cllr Lucy Hovvels MBE, Cabinet member for adult and health services, said: “Helping our children to achieve and maintain a healthy weight is a key priority in County Durham. Children are becoming overweight and obese at younger ages and are staying so for longer. This is concerning as it could continue into adulthood, causing more health problems and impacting on their quality of life.”
The online consultation is available at www.durham.gov.uk/consultations
Comments can also be emailed to PublicHealth@durham.gov.uk or sent by post to Public Health, Adult and Health Services, Durham County Council, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UJ.
A summary of the results of the consultation will be available by the end of the year.
