nearly 20% of thirteen year-olds in Wales are either overweight or obese

Worrying news from Wales is that they have an extremely high rate of diabetes which is considerably greater than any other part of the United Kingdom. This elevated incidence of diabetes has been put down to not only unhealthy lifestyles but also a genetic predisposition to the condition in Wales. The statistics show that nearly twenty percent of thirteen year-olds in Wales are either overweight or obese meaning that they have a BMI of more than 25. There are far more overweight and obese children in Wales than there are in England, Ireland and Scotland.

The chief medical officer for Wales, Dr Tony Jewell has issued a statement warning that the problem of childhood obesity is on the increase and that more effort was needed to stop it. He cited a recent World Health Organisation study which saw that Wales has one biggest problems with overweight and obese children in the world.

He noted that in America the obesity problem had got out of hand and that it was important that Wales did not follow and end up in the same situation. It is possible that children in America will die younger than their parents do if the problem is not solved. He spoke of the need to encourage physical activity, proper education about food choices and to stay away from fast food.

The United Kingdom as a whole has a problem with obesity which makes it one of the “fattest” nations in Europe. Recent government initiatives to try and tackle the problem have not met with much success and the problem continues to grow. At Ukmedix News we have seen that healthy eating habits must be instilled in children when they are young and that obese children are statistically likely to stay that way all their lives.

The UK government needs to invest in more initiatives to get Britain healthy.