More than 60 per cent of adults in Gloucestershire are overweight according to the latest figures.
Gloucestershire County Councillors raised concerns over the level of obesity during a meeting today.
County public health bosses say tackling obesity is one of the greatest long-term health challenges faced in England.
Around two thirds of adults in England are overweight, while it is 61.4 per cent in Gloucestershire and almost half of these people are living with obesity.
Obesity is most prevalent among the most deprived groups in society and is linked to reduced life expectancy and a range of health conditions, including type two diabetes, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and cancer. It also impacts on mental health.
Gloucestershire County Councillor Lisa Spivey (LD, South Cerney) told the adult social care and communities scrutiny committee that she was shocked by the statistics.
“It’s quite a lot, isn’t it? It’s something we should look at and see what we can do as a public body to help,” she said.
“It has so many impacts, not just on those people’s lives but also on the NHS and services.
“We’ve got to get our population healthy.”
Public health director Sarah Scott said she completely agreed that there is a need to improve the situation.
“I don’t think we are particularly out of kilter with the rest of the country,” she said.
“We need to enable people to reach and maintain a healthy weight.
“What we haven’t got yet is a whole system approach to tackling obesity. The evidence tells us that it’s so much more complicated than how much you eat and exercise.
“So many other factors that influence that like your ability to get or prepare food and whether you’ve got the equipment to do it.”
She said the health and wellbeing board have endorsed an approach to try and prevent people from becoming overweight but do not have the resources to take it forward.
So, their primary focus is on working with people that are overweight and obese to help them reach a healthy weight.
