District aims to tackle obesity
Almost one third of the population in Forest Heath is obese, according to statistics compiled by Forest Heath District Council.
Obesity levels currently stand at 30.8 per cent, which is more than seven per cent above the national average.
The figures were published in a draft Health Improvement Strategy, put together by the council, which gives an outline of the action needed to be taken to improve the wellbeing of residents up until 2012.
But despite the high numbers, health bosses say the general fitness of the district is good and improving.
Jessica Arnold, health improvement co-ordinator at the council, said: "Generally health is good, but we do have pockets of poor health that we need to address."
She put the high levels of obesity down to national trends and said it was something the council had been concentrating on improving for some time.
Sally Hogg, head of the Health Improvement Partnership at NHS Suffolk, said: "There's no surprises here. We're not worried. We're all working together to put the best things in place and are always striving to improve health in Suffolk."
The strategy, which was put before the council's Health Working Group yesterday, said residents are generally healthy with both the life expectancy of men and women above the national averages.
But it also pinpointed high obesity and smoking levels. Currently, 27.3 per cent in the district smoke compared to 24.1 per cent nationally.
It identified wards, including Great Heath in Mildenhall, Brandon East and Brandon West, that are in most need of health improvements due to levels of deprivation and ageing populations.
Click here to go back to our main news index.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Bury St Edmunds
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: East
