Obesity among children currently costs the UK capital of London £7.1 million to treat every year, with this figure capable of rising to almost £111 million a year, if today’s young population continues its obesity into adulthood, as the London Assembly has warned based on newly-published data.

Levels of childhood obesity are more significant in London than they are in any other region of the country, according to the latest figures, with one in five young people considered obese, although there is a variation between boroughs, Westminster being particularly bad at 28 per cent of youngsters being obese.

As the true financial implications on the capital are revealed by Tipping the Scales, a report released by the Health and Public Services Commission of the London Assembly, so the urgency of tackling the worsening situation gathers momentum. Additional research funded by the Assembly also showed that adult obesity is setting London back a staggering £883.6 million.

While the report acknowledges the food, exercise and sport-related attempts by the Mayor to address childhood obesity as his key health priority, it also points out that there is insufficient exclusive focus on obesity reduction and that current stakeholders are not aligned.

As such, the report urges the Mayor to enter into partnerships and launch a London-wide strategy by 2013 to tackle obesity among the young. It also encourages him to give more visibility on planned expenditures for obesity-related initiatives. In addition, the report discusses the role the proposed London Health Improvement Board has to play in sharing good practice and assessing obesity interventions.

Posted by Matt on the 5th May 2011