Health survey shows fewer obese people in Kirklees
Oct 25 2010 Huddersfield Daily Examiner
FEWER people in Kirklees have been listed as obese.
A new health survey out today shows the area is the only one in Yorkshire to show a fall in obesity levels.
The numbers have fallen considerably at a time when every other area has shown an increase, and follows a series of initiatives by health groups in the area..
But health chiefs are still concerned about rising levels of diabetes, which is often linked to obesity.
Experts labelled as “shocking” the rise in obesity and diabetes levels across Yorkshire.
But the number listed as obese in Kirklees has fallen, from 38,289 in 2008/09 to 36,735 in 2009/10, a fall of 1,554.
That compares to a rise of 534 in Calderdale, 5,061 in Leeds, 3,191 in Bradford and 4,358 in Bradford. The total number of people diagnosed with diabetes in Yorkshire has increased by more than 11,000 to 236,711 in the past year, warns leading health charity Diabetes UK today.
In Kirklees, there are now 18,059 people with diabetes, compared to 17,484 last year.
The data, collected from GP practices, also shows the figure of people registered as obese in the Yorkshire and Humber Strategic Health Authority area to has risen to 495,531, an increase of more than 25,000.
In the UK, around 90% of people with diabetes (2.5 million) have Type 2 diabetes2, which is strongly linked to being overweight or obese, leading a sedentary lifestyle and eating an unhealthy diet. In many cases the condition can be prevented by maintaining a healthy weight, taking regular physical activity and eating a balanced diet rich in fruit and vegetables but low in fat, sugar and salt.
Linda Wood, regional manager for Diabetes UK, said: “Many, but not all, people develop Type 2 diabetes because they are overweight or obese so we must keep up the mantra of ‘five fruit and veg a day’, encourage daily physical activity, and warn of the potentially devastating consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle.
“Failure to act now means a bleak future of spiralling NHS costs and worsening public health.”
About 10% of NHS spending goes on diabetes and its complications; this equates to £9 billion per year or £1m an hour.
