Almost Half Of Hackney’s Children Overweight

Almost half of Hackney’s children are overweight or obese, according to new figures released last week.

Over a quarter of the borough’s reception children were also overweight or obese.

Talking to the Hackney Gazette, Cllr Jonathan McShane, cabinet member for Health, Social Care and Culture said:

“One of the council’s priorities, with NHS and voluntary sector partners, is to encourage residents of all ages to lead healthier lives and provide them with opportunities to get involved in regular physical activity.”

The council have launched a health campaign in an attempt to get residents active.

Despite the high figures, however, the number of obese children in Hackney has dropped since the last measurement. It is lowest rate of childhood obesity since the measurements started in 2007.

Across the UK, 31% of children are overweight or obese, according to Public Health England.

Yinka Thomas, a nutritionist at Alive and Kicking, believes a sugar tax could be the solution to Britain’s obesity problem. Talking to City News TV, she said:

“Looking at the evidence, it has been beneficial in Mexico where they have a problem with sugary drinks. The government have to put a lot more pressure on companies and manufacturers to lower the sugar levels.

“What I try and do is change people’s tastes; when you’ve got a palate that is used to highly sugared drinks and sweets, fruit does nothing for you because you’ve had a sugar overload.

You’ve got to get the children themselves to try and abstain from so much sugar.”