Shame as district goes to top of ‘fat league’

Around a third of adults in South Holland are now classed as clinically obese – the highest percentage in Lincolnshire.

And the picture for residents’ health becomes even gloomier, as Lincolnshire is revealed as the obesity capital of the East Midlands.

The issue is becoming a growing problem, which puts an ever-increasing strain on health and other services.

Just this month it was revealed that a plan has been drawn up for “super-sized” burial plots in a cemetery in Sutton Bridge.

The 30 plots will be extra-wide to allow for the burial of larger people – and will be located close to the road so undertakers do not have so far to carry heavy coffins.

Figures revealed by the NHS in Lincolnshire this month, show that more than 30 per cent of adults were classed as obese – the highest for the whole county.

Out of 69,915 adults over the age of 20 living in the district, more than 50,000 were classed as overweight and of those 23,000 were obese.

Obesity is classed as having a body mass index greater than 30.

Public health bodies in the county are now looking at ways of tackling the issue, which is blamed on a significant change of people’s diet and exercise habits over the past 50 years.

More people now lead a sedentary lifestyle and enjoy less physical exercise, and high fat food is cheaper and more readily available.

Labour saving devices in the home and an increasing reliance on the car rather than walking or cycling also has a part to play, as do cheap “buy one, get one free” offers in supermarkets.

Obesity is associated with a number of health issues, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

The resulting NHS costs attributable to overweight and obesity are projected to reach £9.7billion nationally by 2050, with wider costs to society estimated to reach £49.9billion per year.

A NHS Lincolnshire report says: “These factors combine to make the prevention and treatment of obesity a major public health challenge.

“The obesity epidemic cannot be prevented by individual action alone and it demands a fiscal, economic and community approach.

“Tackling obesity requires far greater change then anything tried so far and at many levels: personal, family, community and national.

“Partnership working will be essential if we are to tackle this serious public health issue.”