Helping children get healthier
Sep 28 2007 by Audrey Barton, The Journal
A NEW health drive is under way in Newcastle to tackle the rising numbers of overweight children in the East End of the city.
The “Lean East” campaign will bring together a range of projects and services together to buck the trends that almost one in three children starting school in Newcastle are overweight.
Funded by the Newcastle Partnership’s Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, Lean East will include a number of ways to encourage healthier diets and more active lifestyles among children and families.
In response Newcastle Primary Care Trust, the city council and a number of local organisations from the voluntary and private sectors have developed a groundbreaking plan.
Lessons learned from the East End will be shared across the city and with other areas in the country with similar worries about the growing numbers of overweight children.
This area of Newcastle was chosen for the pilot because studies suggest there are higher rates of overweight children in the East than in other parts of the city.
Danny Ruta, head of public health in Newcastle, said: “In Newcastle we now have one in three children under the age of 11 years who are overweight or seriously overweight. In the East End of Newcastle the problem is even more serious, with 44% of children overweight or seriously overweight.
“Apart from the impact this has on children’s quality of life because of bullying and lack of self confidence, it is storing up real health problems for their future. Unless we all work together to help them reduce their weight through healthy eating and exercise, these children would be the first for generations to live a shorter life than their parents.” The pilot scheme is focusing around 10 primary schools in the East End of Newcastle which are signed up to the campaign.
