Leeds Lowers The Level of Childhood Obesity

In May, it was announced at the European Congress on Obesity that Leeds had managed to reduce the number of children who are significantly overweight. The data - compiled from a official school measuring programme - showed there had been a 6.4% fall in obesity rates over recent years.

What was particularly impressive was the fact that the biggest falls have been seen among the most deprived areas. Rates of obesity fell by nearly 9% in some of the worst off neighbourhoods in the city.

The city council developed a child-obesity strategy a decade ago that made this age group a key priority.

Staff who work with pre-school children, including children's centres workers and health visitors, were trained to promote healthy eating. On top of that, parenting classes encouraged healthy snacking, eating as a family and the importance of cooking nutritious meals from scratch.

This rare sign of progress in a field usually dominated by negative headlines is proof of the work which can be done to reverse current obesity traits. The APPG on Obesity commends the preventative work being carried out in Leeds and and will continue to call on Government to take a new approach to tackle obesity through prevention and treatment.