Health varies by postcode
New Government figures reveal large regional disparities in the health of young children.
Research by the Department of Health and the Association of Public Health Observatories shows that some areas of inner London have the highest rates of child obesity in the country. Hackney in east London topped the tables, with 16 per cent of children classed as obese by the time they start the reception year at school.
Tower Hamlets, also in east London, had the fifth highest rate of child obesity, with 14.7 per cent of reception class children considered obese.
The lowest rate was found in Teesdale, County Durham, where 4.9 per cent of reception year children were obese.
Rita Krishna, cabinet member for children's services on Hackney Council, said, 'There is a link between poverty, deprivation and obesity in Hackney. However, there is also a range of partnership work going on to tackle this, from free daily fresh fruit and healthy eating sessions at children's centres, including healthy cooking sessions at children's centres' nurseries, to free swimming for under-18s at leisure centres.'
The figures also show the worst rates of tooth decay in young children are in the local authority area of Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire, where five-year-olds have an average of 3.2 decayed teeth each. Children in Lichfield, Staffordshire, were found to have the best dental health in England, with only 0.4 damaged teeth per five-year-old.
Melanie Catleugh, consultant in Dental Public Health, Blackburn with Darwen PCT, said, 'The PCT is addressing these levels of poor oral health through the implementation of the Oral Health Strategy and Commissioning Plan 2007, which includes details of a number of areas for action that aim to reduce tooth decay in children.'
Further information
The research findings are available at www.apho.org.uk.
