England’s child obesity crisis 'is not over'

LATEST: Channel 4 News examines childhood obesity.

Read the article

Mytime Active’s Director of Health, Dr Mike Evans, has responded to today’s publication of the child obesity study in the BMJ’s Archives of Disease in Childhood which suggested that obesity rates may be levelling off in younger children in the UK.

Dr Evans said that the organisation believes the crisis is far from over, and highlighted Mytime Active’s unique child obesity program ‘Mind, Exercise, Nutrition…Do it (MEND)'.

MEND is an evidence-based programme, approved by the National Institute for Clinical Evidence (NICE), that successfully tackles the complex factors that can trigger obesity in children.

Dr Evans said:

“Despite the suggestion that the figures show childhood obesity may be levelling off, at Mytime Active we strongly believe that the crisis in England is far from over. The facts of the study are extremely concerning – more than a third of children are overweight – and, despite some age groups beginning to show signs off levelling off, the report highlights that the techniques used by local authorities in England are not based on strong evidence.

“There is also little in the way of outcomes data to determine how successful they are. That is why Mytime Active cautions against complacency and believes that a more radical approach to obesity is needed if we are going to halt and attempt to reverse the epidemic.

“We see the impact of obesity everyday in the communities that we work with across the UK. There are families who are in need of support but the local authorities are not commissioning relevant projects in that area. We can provide a cost-effective solution to tackling the obesity epidemic and we urge those that control budgets in the UK to recognise the problem and take action to implement such solutions nationwide”.

Mytime Active MEND is recommended by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), and its programmes have been proven to work. Families who go through the programme come out of it feeling fitter, healthier and happier with measurable improvements in their health.

Good Morning Britain

Dr Paul Sacher, Mytime Active MEND Research and Development Officer has spoken to the presenter Susanna Reid and Kate Garraway on Good Morning Britain and also on Sky News (see videos below).

Dr Sacher and the Gilbert Family, who have taken part in the MEND programme, are seen here talking to presenters Susanna Reid and Kate Garraway.