Optimism in fight against obesity

The 3.5m Rotherham Obesity Strategy was set up by NHS Rotherham in 2009, with the aim of helping 2,000 adults and 2,000 children adopt a healthier lifestyle over three years.

Services established through the strategy include the Rotherham Institute of Obesity, which provides one-to-one specialist help for the clinically obese, Carnegie Clubs for children and families to learn about healthy eating and exercise, and "Reshape Rotherham" healthy-living clubs for overweight adults.

Although results for the first year have failed to hit initial targets, they have left health bosses "optimistic", according to public health specialist Gill Harrison.

She said: "Although the obesity strategy was established a year ago, the full range of weight management services didn't get up and running until last October.

"We're optimistic, because although we're not hitting the year's targets, we hope that over the three years we'll get a lot more people taking part.

"We're right at the beginning in terms of services, and what we're hoping to do is monitor them over a longer period of time.

"What we're hoping for is a long-term adaptation of people's lifestyles – which is going to take longer than one year, and indeed longer than the three years."

Initial results show that 472 adults have taken part in the Reshape Rotherham exercise and healthy eating programme, of which 196 completed the course.

Only 39 people, however, were classed as being "successful", with the measure of success being the loss of at least three per cent of their body weight.

Meanwhile, 752 obese adults have so far used the Rotherham Institute of Obesity. Around half of those – 327 people – have completed their course, and 104 of those are classed as successes.

In terms of children, the results are far more promising. All of the 180 children who took part in Carnegie Clubs successfully completed the course, as did all of the 53 children who attended a Carnegie weight-loss camp last summer.

Of the 84 children who have so far used services at the Rotherham Institute of Obesity, 24 have completed their course and eight have been "successful".

A spokesman for NHS Rotherham said: "The National Childhood Measuring Programme (NCMP) has shown a slight decrease in rates of obesity in our Reception and Year 6 children over the last 12 months which, whilst being not statistically significant, does give rise to cautious optimism.

"All weight management services have demonstrated

successes over the first year

and, whilst initial targets for numbers accessing the services have not been met, there is clear evidence of action planning to meet the overall three-year target."

Figures show that obesity in Rotherham costs the local economy at least 16m, of which 6m is from lost earnings due to sickness.

Investing 3.5m to tackle obesity over three years, NHS Rotherham says, should therefore represent a "sound investment for the future".

The Rotherham Obesity Strategy has been recognised as models of good practice nationally, winning a Health and Social Care Award in 2009 and being adopted by the National Obesity Forum.

Postcode mapping has also shown that more than 40 per cent of people accessing Rotherham's weight management services have come from the town's 25 per cent most deprived neighbourhoods.