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Croydon has the 4th highest rate of obesity in London (Croydon Council, 2018).

2 in 3 adults are overweight or obese in Croydon (PHE,2017).

22% of children are obese making it one of the worst areas in the UK (PHE, 2017).

45.3% of children in West Thornton are obese (Croydon Council, 2018).

Obesity in Croydon costs the society £190m each year. £2.5m of this is spent on social care (PHE, 2017).

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The term obesity describes someone who is overweight, with a lot of body fat. It affects many people, 1 in 4 adults are affected and every 1 in 5 children are affected aged 10-11 years old.

It is caused by consuming high calories foods mainly fatty and sugary foods, because of this you end up consuming more calories than you can burn off, this leads the excess energy to be stored by the body as fat eventually leading to obesity.

One method used to classify a persons health in relation to their weight is by BMI which stands for body mass index

18.5 -24.9 healthy weight

25 – 29.9 overweight

30-39.9 obese

40 or above severely obese

Obesity carries many different risk factors

1.     Diabetes

2.     High blood pressure

3.     High Cholesterol

4.     Some cancers ( Breast and bowel)

5.     Stroke

We chose to focus on Croydon borough and obesity as there are 33,280 people registered with gps in Croydon and of that number 10.6% of those people are suffering with obesity.

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Genetic: While there are some rare genetic conditions that can cause obesity, such as Prader- Willi syndrome, there is no reason why most people can’t lose weight… It is true that certain genetic traits inherited from our parents, such as having large appetite – may make losing weight more difficult but not impossible.

Physiological: Body weight is determined by the interaction of the genetic makeup of an individual and the environment in which that person is living. The control systems that regulate body weight are numerous and include signals from fat that travel to the hypothalamus where cognitive and internal signals are integrated. The integration of these signals involves a complex array of neuropeptides, neurotransmitters and structural circuits. These circuits regulate appetite, intake and energy expenditure.

Metabolic: Metabolic syndrome is closely linked to overweight or obesity and inactivity. It's also linked to a condition called insulin resistance. Normally, your digestive system breaks down the foods you eat into sugar. Insulin is a hormone made by your pancreas that helps sugar enter your cells to be used as fuel. In people with insulin resistance, cells don't respond normally to insulin and glucose can't enter the cells as easily. As a result, your blood sugar levels rise even as your body churns out more and more insulin to try to lower your blood sugar.

Hormonal: Some hormones like leptin and insulin influence our appetite and metabolism. Hypothyroidism is associated with decreased thermogenesis, decreased metabolic rate and correlation of higher body mass index (BMI)Excesses or deficits of hormones can lead to obesity.

Sociocultural & Environmental: Sociocultural and environmental factors as lifestyle, food habits, religion, workload etc

Behavioural: Along with sociocultural and environmental, behavioural is a associated cause of obesity like dietary intake, physical activity

Psychological: A variety of psychological disorders like depression, anxiety, stress, sadness can not only foreshadow the development of obesity but also develop difficulties to control weight.

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More than 1 in 5 children are overweight or obese when they begin school, and 1 in 3 children are overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school

According to data from the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP), 9.6% of reception age children (age 4-5) are obese, with a further 13.0% overweight. These proportions are higher among year 6 children (age 10-11), with 20.0% being obese and 14.3% overweight.

Children living in deprived areas are substantially more likely to be obese. Among reception (age 4-5) children, 6.6% of those in the least deprived areas are obese compared with 12.5% of those in the most deprived areas. In Year 6 (age 10-11), 12.8% of children in the least deprived areas are obese, compared with 26.2% in the most deprived areas. So in both age groups, children in the most deprived areas are around twice as likely to be obese.

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Reduction in portion size (1900 calories per day for men, 1400 per day for women to lose weight).

Changing eating habits, reduce sugar, salt and carb intake, increase fruit and veg intake

Exercise regularly – group exercise may encourage people to be more active and you can also get an NHS prescription which will enable you to have sessions with a personal trainer

Exercising also reduces the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes by 40%

Also, encouraging people to fit exercise into their daily life (such as walking to work or walking to the shops rather than driving)

If a health condition (such as PCOS or hypothyroidism) or medication (e.g. corticosteroids or antidepressants) is causing the obesity, speak to your doctor about getting the health condition treated or changing medication

If these methods do not work, you can get a prescription for orlistat from the pharmacy, a drug which reduces the amount of fat absorbed by the body.

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1.    Heart Disease and Stroke:
Overweight people are more likely to have high blood pressure. Very high blood levels of cholesterol can also lead to heart disease and often are linked to being overweight. Being overweight also contributes to angina (chest pain caused by decreased oxygen to the heart) and sudden death from heart disease or stroke without any signs or symptoms.

2.    Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes reduces your body's ability to control blood sugar. It is a major cause of early death, heart disease, stroke, and blindness. Overweight people are twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared to normal weight people.

3.    Cancer
Several types of cancer are associated with being overweight. In women, these include cancer of the uterus, gallbladder, cervix, ovary, breast, and colon. Overweight men are at higher risk for developing colorectal cancer and prostate cancer.

4.    Gallbladder Disease
Gallbladder disease and gallstones are more common if you are overweight. Your risk of disease increases as your weight increases.

5.    Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a common joint condition that most often affects the knee, hip, and lower back joints. Carrying extra pounds places extra pressure on these joints and wear away the cartilage that normally protects them.

6.    Gout
Gout is a disease that affects the joints that is caused by high levels of a substance called uric acid in the blood. The large amount of uric acid can form into solid or crystal-like masses that deposit in the joints.

7.    Sleep Apnoea?
Sleep apnoea is a serious breathing condition that is associated with being overweight. Sleep apnoea can cause a person to snore heavily and to stop breathing for short periods during sleep. Sleep apnoea may cause daytime sleepiness and even heart failure.

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In conclusion, obesity is a significant contemporary health concern within the UK which causes many health problems and can lead to a preventable death. The Croydon council have created projects to tackle obesity in schools and in the community which are working towards Croydon becoming “Sugar Smart” and an initiative for the local authority to tackle the proliferation and marketing of unhealthy food and drinks. The council also have Eat Well Croydon which is a project within the food flagship programme.

The achievements from this project are that schools have benefitted from the healthy eating skills offered by Croydon’s three current Food Flagship Schools.

Infant school meal uptake has increased from 81% to 85.2% and Key Stage 2 meal uptake has increased from 53% to 64.5% across Croydon schools

57 schools have increased their food-growing activities with pupils.

A new Croydon School Food Plan, and staff training in food preparation, has led to healthier menus at breakfast and after-school clubs and lunchtimes, and more kids eating school meals.

More than 300 residents attended cooking and nutrition or horticultural courses at the Community Food Learning Centre in New Addington.

Three Edible Playgrounds were built across four schools encouraging pupils to grow their own fruit and vegetables and consume the fresh produce.

A new pop-up healthy food zone in partnership with local entrepreneurs opened outside Croydon College.

Residents who received training as ‘Master Gardeners’ and ‘Food Buddies’ clocked up in excess of 1,000 hours of conversations with the public about food growing and nutrition.

This provides information and statistics that the projects are effective in tackling obesity and understanding the risks of obesity and how to live healthier lives within Croydon.

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Croydon's strategies for tackling obesity 

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Croydon's strategies for tackling obesity 

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1. Interactive pathway

Develop an interactive pathway for residents and health professionals which details support for children to reach a healthy weight and provides advice on healthy behaviour change.

2. Local Government Declaration

Croydon Council signs up to the Local Government Declaration. Improved availability of healthier food and reduced availability and promotion of unhealthier alternatives

3. Sugar Smart Croydon

Croydon becomes a  Sugar Smart borough. Residents are more aware of the issues around excess sugar consumption.Businesses promote healthier, lower sugar alternatives.

4. Targeting of Services and school health profiles

Develop an electronic resource that provides intelligence on schools and wards so that we can target resources more effectively. This will link with the interactive pathway.

5. A Targeted Communications Plan

More residents understand what a healthy weight is and we begin to normalise a healthy weight. Run surveys and focus groups to explore and understand the values and attitude.