The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
A growing number of overweight adults is tipping the scales towards South Holland becoming one of the UK’s “fattest” places.
Almost a third (32.5 per cent)of adults in the district are classed as obese, with even more classed as overweight.
The figure compares to a national average of just 23 per cent and puts South Holland close to the country’s “heaviest” area where 35.2 per cent of the population are obese.
The problem has been described as a “ticking timebomb” as obesity takes its toll on people’s health and puts extra strain on already under-pressure health services.
A new South Holland health profile for 2015 shows one of the knock-on effects of the obesity epidemic is a serious rise in the cases of diabetes.
The district has a much worse record for diabetes than the national average, with 7.7 per cent of South Holland’s population registered with a GP as diabetic compared to a national average of 6.2 per cent.
Figures also show that almost half of all adults in the district lead an inactive lifestyle, with just 51.2 per cent described as physically active.
The worrying trends could also explain why more people aged under 75 die as a result of cardiovascular problems than many other areas – 96.7 deaths per 100,000 population compared to a national average of 78.2.
The good news is that the obesity problem among South Holland’s children is not so pronounced, with just under one fifth (19.5 per cent) of children in year six deemed obese.
The figure is largely in line with the 19.1 national average.
Other areas highlighted in the health profile where South Holland hovers around the England average include drink-related hospital stays by under 18s as a result of alcohol, the number of pregnancies in the under 18 age group, hospitals stays for self-harm, incidence of malignant melanomas, hip fractures in the over 65s and infant mortality.
Excess winter deaths, deaths from cancer in the under 75s, life expectancy and smoking prevalence and smoking related deaths are also broadly in line with the national average.
On the plus side, South Holland has fewer children under 16 living in poverty (15.3 per cent) than the national average (19.2 per cent) and a better record on homelessness, with only around a dozen cases a year recorded.
Levels of violent crime are below national average, as is the use of opiates and crack and the number of people admitted to hospital due to alcohol.
Long term unemployment is also lower than the national average.
