Risks leading to death in Perspective

reposted from: http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/NHSAtlasofrisk.aspx

Parents to get child weight data

reposted from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7098268.stm

Parents to get child weight data

Children aged five and 11 are being tested

Parents will get details of their children's weight under a national testing programme to combat obesity.

But ministers have stopped short of making the National Child Measurement Programme, introduced last year for five and 11-year-olds, compulsory.

The government set it up to help gather evidence so health chiefs can tailor programmes to overweight populations.

But it has been attacked as parents have not been given the data and less than half of pupils have taken part.

The government has included provisions in the Health and Social Care Bill, which has been published in Parliament, to ensure parents are told.

This change to legislation is not about telling parents what to do, or lecturing them on how to raise their children, it is a way of supporting families to be healthy Ben Bradshaw, health minister

There will now be a consultation to decide what is the best way to inform parents after surveys showed they wanted to know.

To date, they have had to contact their local primary care trust to get the information - a process which parents had criticised as being cumbersome.

But the Department of Health said the scheme would not become mandatory as it was always meant to be voluntary because the government did not want to coerce children into it.

Coverage is also thought to be increasing after last year's results.

Figures from the first year of the programme showed that 538,400 children in both years were measured - about 48% of those eligible.

Caution

A report by the Association of Public Health Observatories said the results had to be treated with "considerable caution" as a result.

It said there was evidence to suggest higher rates of opting out among heavier children.

Health Minister Ben Bradshaw said giving the information to parents would help tackle the issue of obesity.

"Giving parents clear information about their child's weight is important way of engaging with families, and prompting a conversation about healthy lifestyles and weight issues within the home.

"This change to legislation is not about telling parents what to do, or lecturing them on how to raise their children, it is a way of supporting families to be healthy.

Tam Fry of the National Obesity Forum said: "It's a very good idea to give parents the results of the tests. But what do the parents do when they get the data?

"They should have a chart so they can plot the measurements in the future. That way they can keep track of how their child is getting on."

Child obesity alert plan pondered

reposted from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7055735.stm

Child obesity alert plan pondered

Obesity is linked to a number of health problems

Parents may be warned if their children are found to be overweight, under Department of Health (DoH) proposals.

Children in England and Wales are currently measured at the ages of five and 10 but parents are informed of the results only if they request them.

But the figures may be given to parents automatically under the new plans.

The DoH said ministers were prepared to go further and faster in the fight against childhood obesity, although no firm decisions had been made.

Between a quarter and a third of children are thought to be overweight and doctors fear there will be an epidemic of poor health related to obesity in coming decades.

An obese person dies on average nine years earlier than somebody of normal weight, while a very obese person's life is cut short by an average of 13 years.

Under the proposals being considered, information obtained under the national measurement programme could be given to parents automatically.

And involvement in the measurement scheme may become compulsory unless people choose to opt out of the scheme.

Early education

Tam Fry, from the National Obesity Forum, said child obesity was a "huge problem to overcome".

He said: "It's a good thing in the sense that if the government expects parents to [have] prime responsibility for the raising of their children, it is absolutely essential that they should know what the healthy range of weight is.

"We would think, in fact, this whole thing has got to start earlier.

"If you start earlier, around the age of two and three from nursery, then you've got the time to start to implant the healthy eating, healthy exercise education, which will then carry them through school."

Mr Fry added that the Forum would even like to start to promote this mode of lifestyle "from conception".

A recent report by the Foresight Programme argued that dramatic and comprehensive action was required to stop the majority of us becoming obese by 2050.

Its authors predicted that if current trends continue, in that year, 60% of men and half of women will be obese and cases of type 2 diabetes will rise by 70%.

The report also suggested that cases of stroke will rise by 30% by the middle of the century and cases of coronary heart disease will rise by 20%.

Children 'not exercising enough'

reposted from: bbc

Children 'not exercising enough'

Rates of obesity are increasing

Only one in 40 11-year-olds meets the national target of an hour of physical exercise a day, say researchers.

A University of Bath study of 5,595 children found that 95% of boys and 99.6% of girls fell short of this time.

The Archives of Disease in Childhood study follows a warning that the NHS must do more to counter obesity.

The report paints a bleaker picture than the last Health Survey of England, in 2002, which claimed that many more children were meeting the standard.

This suggests, it's asking a lot to expect children to do an hour of moderate or vigorous exercise a day Calum Mattocks Researcher Send us your comments

The study centred on a group of children from the greater Bristol area monitored since birth by scientists seeking to unravel links between lifestyle and illness.

In this study, 5,595 boys and girls were fitted with an "accelerometer" - which measures precisely how they move, and can detect moderate or strenuous exercise - for seven days.

It revealed that children averaged just 17 minutes of moderate exercise, and two minutes of "vigorous" exercise a day.

Illness risks

Calum Mattocks, one of the researchers, said they were "surprised" to find so few children managing an hour of physical activity over the course of a day.

He said that even though the hour target was the result of expert consensus, it was possible that it was too ambitious.

When you think about playtime, getting to and from school, running around at home, it's quite possible to have an hour's exercise Dr Richard Winsley Exeter University

"This suggests it's asking a lot to expect children to do an hour of moderate or vigorous exercise a day."

He added: "We should remember that, even though it does not appear that children are doing much exercise, they are still doing, on average, twice as much as adults."

The research paints a far bleaker picture of children's exercise rates compared with the official figures within the Health Survey for England.

The most recent survey, in 2002, suggested that 77% of boys and 64% of girls were meeting the standard at the age of 11.

Too little exercise in childhood has been linked to an increased risk of obesity in adulthood, which in turn raises the risk of serious diseases such as heart disease or cancer.

NHS burden

This week, a report commissioned by the King's Fund suggested that the rising rate of obesity, and the associated extra costs of healthcare for those affected, posed a greater risk to the future of the NHS than had been previously suggested.

We are all becoming expert at engineering physical activity out of our daily lives Steve Shaffelberg British Heart Foundation

Sir Derek Wanless, who wrote the report, said: "Nobody knows how big the bills are going to be but they look quite frightening."

Dr Richard Winsley, from the Children's Health and Exercise Research Centre at Exeter University, said that evidence from other studies suggested that even more than an hour's exercise might be needed by children to protect their future health.

He said: "When you think about playtime, getting to and from school, running around at home, it's quite possible to have an hour's exercise at this age.

"Young children love to run around, and if you give them a safe place to do it, they will do it."

Steve Shaffelberg, of the British Heart Foundation, said: "We are all becoming expert at engineering physical activity out of our daily lives.

"In the last 20 years school car journeys have more than doubled, with less than 50% walking and just 1% cycling.

"The killer combination of far too little physical activity together blended with a diet heavy with soft drinks and snacks is driving rising rates of obesity among British children, and threatening their health."

A government spokesman said tackling obesity was a top priority, and a new strategy would be published in the autumn.

He said: "There are no overnight, easy solutions to creating a culture where every child has a healthy life, actively supported by their parents.

"We absolutely recognise that we must go further and faster."