Hillingdon has one of the highest rates of overweight people in London, NHS finds
| Published date | 04 April 2024 |
| Publication title | MyLondon (England) |
The region as a whole has the worst rates of childhood obesity of any area of London by a considerable margin. North West London has the greatest number and proportion of children and young people with BMI >30 across the London region and the rates of overweight and obese children in Year 6 are higher than both the UK and London average 41.1 per cent.
Severely obese and obese children can begin to struggle with comorbidities as a result of their weight. The report says that comorbidities relating to obesity such as type 2 diabetes sleep apnoea, or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis with fibrosis can be helped with weight loss. Children and young people in North West London with these issues are currently referred to Great Ormond Street Hospital for treatment.
One interesting trend found in the report is revealed through a heat map of where people who are overweight or obese live. The report reads: "Prevalence increases as you travel out from the centre of London, with particular hot spots in Brent and Hillingdon."
There are 12 practices in North West London where the recorded prevalence of obesity is in the highest quintile for England. Three of these clinics are in Hillingdon with the majority of the others located in Brent.
The report also found that in North West London the obese population is overrepresented in the Asian and black ethnic groups as well as in females and older populations. There is a higher proportion of the population who are obese in the more deprived areas compared to the least deprived.
The NHS has brought in measures to help curb the increases in obesity in the region, with Hillingdon having seen a slight rise in rates of around one per cent since 2018. These include a tiered system of services:
Tier 1: universal services including primary care or health promotion Tier 2: lifestyle interventions Tier 3: specialist weight management services delivered by multi-disciplinary teams Tier 4: bariatric surgery includes things like gastric band surgery
Tier 1 and 2 weight management services for adults and children and young people are provided by Local Authority partners, with all councils including...
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