Wiltshire parents warned to keep children’s weight healthy despite cost of living challenges

Being overweight in childhood can lead to serious diseases

Parents in Wiltshire are being urged to keep their children active and healthy despite the challenges of the cost of living crisis.

It follows a German study that found childhood obesity can cut life expectancy in half – but regaining a healthy weight in childhood can extend life.

Maddy Bune, Wiltshire Council’s public health expert, told Greatest Hits Radio that all children deserve the chance to be healthy, regardless of their background.

She said “We know that a healthy weight will reduce the risk of many health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and poor mental health.”

Ms Bune added that these health risks can carry over into adulthood: “If children experience obesity in childhood, those risk factors will develop throughout their lives and as they enter adulthood, the percentage of them experiencing with these risk factors is at increased risk. .”

She encourages parents to promote a healthy lifestyle through the foods they eat, including eating a variety of fruits and vegetables and limiting the amount of processed foods they eat, as well as regular physical activity.

But she admits circumstances could make that difficult for some families.

“With the cost of living crisis, we can’t ignore that and many families will face food insecurity and that’s a significant factor for many families,” she said.

However, the council has a number of programs available for parents and children to help ensure a healthy life for the whole family.

‘Pokémon GO style’ app gets kids in Wiltshire active

One way the council encourages children to be active is through the Street Tag app.

It works in a similar way to Pokémon GO, where we mix the virtual world with the real one. The app has virtual “tags” that kids can collect by walking, biking, running or rolling (for wheelchair users) around their community.

There is a leaderboard for schools and people to sign up to, with each tag having an amount of points, meaning kids have to ‘catch them all’.

Children are also taught about healthy living through a school program called Funky Foods, where cooking classes are offered in schools to foster an environment of health and well-being for students.

There is a second element to Funky Foods which is delivered in the community through children’s centres. Here families can access support for fun cooking and snacking on foods they might not have done before.

In Bemerton Heath, just outside Salisbury, there is the Health Me program which supports families with eastern lifestyles and physical activity, giving families the chance to work with new foods and learn recipes to take home.

“Each week is very different in terms of delivery as it is decided by the families who attend the session,” Ms Bune said.

Finally, there is the Healthy Movers scheme, which aims to stimulate the development of children’s physical, social and emotional well-being through physical activity.

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