Agenda item

(Ms M Peachey, Kent Director of Public Health and Mr M Lemon, Head of Policy were present to answer questions)

(1)                    The Committee was presented with a covering report and a higher level summary and distillation of the Healthy Weight Strategy, by Primary Care Trust (PCT) colleagues, that was drafted in the second half of 2008. The document provided a framework for KCC and other organisations to work within, when designing and planning interventions designed to address issues of healthy weight and promote healthier lifestyles.

(2)                    The Chairman welcomed Mr Lemon and Ms Peachey and asked Mr Lemon to introduce the report.  Mr Lemon explained that the problems and the causes of the problem of obesity were very complex. They included peoples; economic and social situation, their relationship to food and alcohol that had developed over the years and the decrease in activity within daily life due to driving everywhere and not walking as much as in the past.  He suggested that as obesity was due to a wide range of issues it needed to be tackled in a coordinated way. The Strategy followed Government Guidance ‘Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives’. He directed Members to page 16 of the report, which outlined the 7 elements of the Healthy Weight Strategy for Kent as follows:

Ø            Children, healthy growth and healthy weight

Ø            Promotion of healthier food choices

Ø            Building physical activity into our lives

Ø            Creating incentives for better health

Ø            Personalised advice and support

Ø            Using opportunities in the KCC Regeneration Framework

Ø            Making our messages more effective through social marketing

(3)                 He concluded that it was forecast that child obesity was starting to fall.

(4)              Ms Peachey drew Members attention to page 28 of the report that set out the measures of obesity in 2006/07.  The chart showed that in East Kent there had been a significant reduction in the obesity levels, 8.5%, this was partly due to the schools meeting healthy schools standards.  The chart also indicated that West Kent statistics had risen to 9.6% and this was being looked into as there was no clear reason why this had happened.  The data was from the measurements of Year 6 as well as reception children since 2006.

(5)                 In response the a question by the Chairman, Mrs Wainwright advised that following the last meeting of this Committee, Officers had been speaking to the Chief Executives and the appropriate Service Directors of the PCTs  regarding Health Visitors.  A report would be submitted to a future meeting.

(6)               In response to a question by Mr Smith, Ms Peachey advised that the forecasts had been modified to allow more accurate data.  The height and weight of children were measured, starting at reception year in schools since 2006.

(7)                Mr Ridings advised that obesity was only picked up from when all children were measured when they start school but he felt that their eating habits were already formalised before the reception year at school and more work should be done before reception year.

(8)                       Mr Ridings referred to page 19 and the targets for West Kent PCT on breast feeding against those targets for East Kent PCT he felt that the targets should be coordinated as he felt that it would be difficult for West Kent to meet its targets.

(9)                  In response to a question by Mr Hirst, Mr Lemon explained that the aim remained the same for today as in the past; for people to enjoy a long healthy life only that the way that it was done now had changed. 100 years ago the issues would have been; infectious diseases, cleaner air, cleaner water etc now the issues are; cancers drinking, smoking, obesity and particular life style activities, the challenges now have changed but the aim remained the same.

(10)                 Mr Vye expressed his views that unless parents were convinced obesity in children was a bad thing nothing would happen.  Children’s Centres were playing a role with the breast feeding programme, although there was no reference to the early years setting in the report.

(11)                Mr Bowles highlighted some concerns he had with the habits of young people grazing throughout the day rather than having proper meals.  He felt the Children’s Centres acted as a buffer for those families without the backing of mothers and grandmothers experience.

(12)                In reply to a question by Mr Bowles on the Differentiation between the number of children breast fed in East Kent and West Kent and why 2/3rds of the nursing mothers felt it was wrong to breast feed their children, Ms Peachey said that the figures within the report were anomalies because one set of figures were based on 2011 and the other figures were based on 2013.  She agreed to check with the PCT on why the dates were different.

(13)        Mr Smith commented on the huge industry of initiatives for losing weight      . He felt this was unsustainable with the current level of support and the budget cuts in the current economic climate and the time it would take.  In response Mr Lemon advised that in terms of the cost and whether it was affordable to maintain and do this there was an argument that we can not afford not to.  He advised that the cost of looking after people with unhealthy life styles had been estimated at £178 billion per year. The Strategy/Initiatives were reflected and complimented the Strategic documents of other Kent County Council Directorates and gave the example of the Environment Department promoting the use of the countryside; it was also the business of the Partnerships eg the PCTs and the Borough Councils too.

(14)     In response to a concerns raised by Mr Craske, Ms Peachey advised that alcohol was dealt with separately through the Select Committee ‘Alcohol Strategy’ which dealt with raising awareness on alcohol units etc.  A lot of the reports recommendations were aimed at young people in schools and about healthy choices, teenage pregnancy and a whole range of other issues.  Mr Hirst suggested that he would forward a copy of the Select Committee Alcohol report to Mr Craske and highlight those recommendations that had been resolved to date.

(15)       RESOLVED that:-

(a)         a report on the current role of Health Visitors be submitted to a     future meeting,

(b)      the comments and suggestions made by Members on the Healthy Weight for Kent Strategy and the request for clarification on the data from the PCTs referred to in paragraph 12 above be noted; and

(c)      the Strategy for Healthy Weight for Kent be approved.