Health bosses set up team to tackle Bradford's growing obesity crisis, with two-thirds of adults now overweight

Two-thirds of the district’s adults and a third of 11-year-olds are now overweight or obese, according to health figures, leading to an increased risk of cancer, heart disease, type two diabetes and other potentially fatal illnesses.

Back in May, the district was also revealed as the third “fattest” in England, with 1,907 hospital admissions linked to obesity in a year.

The new team, which will meet for the first time on November 29, will be asked to set out a system-wide action plan for battling the problem.

It will bring together key figures from the NHS, Bradford Council, the voluntary sector and community groups and will be led jointly by Bradford Council’s deputy leader, Councillor Val Slater, and its strategic director for health and wellbeing, Bev Maybury.

But with public cash in short supply, one of its first jobs will be investigating which health projects are most effective at keeping people at a healthy weight.

Cllr Slater said: “The healthy weight board will bring together experts to try to say where is the evidence that shows, if we are going to try to prevent this, what’s the most effective way of doing so in these times of reducing budgets.”

Cllr Slater said one of the biggest challenges was getting people to make healthier choices by moving more and eating better.

She said: “A favourite word in the NHS is ‘nudge’ - how do we nudge people into taking that step into actually doing something?”

And she said work had already begun ahead of the first meeting, with officers researching the most cost-effective actions they could take.

A new report by Ms Maybury, which will be examined by a health scrutiny committee next week, says the aims of the strategy include “significantly reducing” obesity in 11-year-olds and increasing the number of healthy years in the average citizen’s life.

It says they will need “some radical changes regarding the way we build our environment and encourage a healthier lifestyle”.

Work is likely to focus on prevention rather than cure, on initiatives like boosting cycling and walking, activity sessions and healthy eating education work.

Councillor Jackie Whiteley, the Conservatives’ spokesman for health, said: “The council has already spent £2m on obesity issues.

“As a council, we have been told what we have to do is prioritise where our spending goes so that it achieves the best results.

“I have to say, so far, we haven’t had a great return on our £2m.

MORE HEALTH HEADLINES

“Having said that, I agree we have to encourage everyone to be as healthy as they can be.

"Half the population doesn’t even walk anywhere.”

Cllr Whiteley said it was particularly important to encourage older people to keep active.

She added: “If we are going to spend any money, we should be targeting it on the morbidly obese - although I don’t like that phrase - the people who really are in danger of dying.”

Councillor Nicola Pollard, the Liberal Democrat group’s health spokesman, said the problem was most serious in the deprived areas of the district.

She said: “I think it’s down to people not eating good food. I know it’s about not exercising as well, but I think too much processed food and too many take-aways does have an impact on your health.

“I think it’s a struggle for families, especially if you are on a low income, to find decent meals you can afford and that can be nourishing.

“There is a huge problem with take-aways in the city. They are so cheap, these take-away meals. I think we have to look at that as part of the problem.”

Obesity figures for children are gleaned through a national programme of measuring and weighing school pupils at the ages of five and 11.

In Bradford, more boys are obese than girls and obesity rates are also higher among black and minority ethnic children and those with learning disabilities.

For adults, the data is gathered through the Health Survey for England.

The district’s health and social care overview and scrutiny committee meets at Bradford City Hall on Thursday.

MORE TOP STORIES