County Grapples With Child Obesity

Cornwall Council Plans Improvement Strategy

- LEE TREWHELA

THE director of public health in Cornwall has said data revealing the level of childhood obesity in the Duchy is “shocking”.

Rachel Wigglesworth revealed that one in five children aged 10 to 11 in the county is classed as obese, according to a national report.

The figure was announced during a discussion about public health interventions to support health outcomes for children and young people at a meeting of Cornwall Council’s children and families committee last week.

Councillors heard that the socioeconomic impacts on the health of children living in poverty in Cornwall is among the worst in local authorities across the South West, which includes counties as far as Dorset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.

The England average for children (aged under 16) in “absolute low income” families whose health was affected by economic and social problems during 2021/22 was 15.3%. Bristol was the highest among local authorities in the South West, while Cornwall was second worst with 16.9% and the worst in the whole region for children in “relative low income” families with 21.9% – the English average being 19.9%.

Ms Wigglesworth said: “Clearly for children living in absolute low income families, which is proxy for poverty, we have a higher rate in England and that has increased. Not a good situation to be in, and we know some of the drivers.”

She revealed that one in ten children at reception class age in Cornwall (aged four to five) is obese. The national average is 10.1% with Cornwall standing at 9.6%. The figure increases to one in five (20.7%) of Year Six children (aged 10 to 11).

She added: “While you look at the English average [for Year Six] we are lower than 23.4%. Do you think that’s a good outcome, because I think it’s quite shocking?”