Obesity review in York to help pinpoint where help is needed most

City of York Council’s health overview and scrutiny committee is to be asked to approve a study of how children in the area are eating in an attempt to assess how well current initiatives are working.

The region’s health bosses have thrown their support behind the calls for an obesity review – tabled by Coun Sue Galloway – saying it might help them mark out where they need to direct their efforts.

In a report which will go before Wednesday’s meeting, the council’s head of civic, legal and democratic services, Quentin Baker, writes: “In York, the issue of obesity is currently being tackled from a variety of directions and by a number of partners, and the scrutiny process could be a good way of taking stock of all or some of these initiatives.

“It could also give the committee an opportunity to do some focused work on how the current initiatives are faring in tackling the problem of obesity within the local area.”

Among the schemes singled out as being part of a York-based effort to focus on the obesity issue are the Healthy Weight, Active Lives Strategic Implementation Group and the All Together Better Project, run across York and North Yorkshire and backed up by the Big Lottery Fund, with the latter initiative being targeted at the Westfield, Foxwood, Clifton, Guildhall, Heworth and Tang Hall areas.

NHS North Yorkshire and York – the health trust which covers the area – has supported the study. Its health improvement manager Greg McGrath said: “This is a feasible topic to proceed with and it may identify gaps in service or community need.”

He also singled out the number of fast food outlets in deprived areas and job opportunities as areas which might come under scrutiny.

The York LINks organisation, which represents patients’ views, also says obesity in York should be analysed, saying “Children and their parents should be made aware that the wrong diet harms people’s health, now and in future years.”