French lessons in tackling obesity

28 May 2009 03:39 PM

Lessons from a French programme which has cut childhood obesity by almost a quarter in participating towns are to be trialled in eight towns, villages and cities in Scotland.

The pilot Healthy Weight Communities have been inspired by French projects showing participating towns curbed childhood obesity and maternal weight gain over eight years, while "control" towns saw both rise.

Public Health Minister Shona Robison launched the programme today together with a consultation on revising Scotland's Diabetes Action Plan, as part of a two-pronged approach to tackling obesity.

Ms Robison said:

"The French experience can teach us valuable lessons in cutting obesity. Like their French inspirations, our Healthy Weight Communities will bring whole towns together to get more active and eat more healthily.

"They'll embrace everything from breastfeeding support groups to walking clubs and healthy local gala days. Crucially, they will involve councils, the NHS, the voluntary and private sector from schools and shops to community centres and parks.

"But this isn't all we're doing. Obesity is thought to be the cause of nearly half the cases of Type 2 diabetes in Scotland - almost 100,000 people.

"Our consultation on a revised Diabetes Action Plan will consider how to prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes and how to detect it as early as possible to prevent complications.

"Isolated action in one field alone is futile. If we are to meet the challenge of tackling obesity, we must do it together and making the French connection is a valuable contribution."

Backed by £1.4 million government funding, the eight pathfinder Healthy Weight Communities are:

    * Armadale and Blackridge in West Lothian
    * Catrine in East Ayrshire
    * Barrhead in East Renfrewshire
    * Dumfries
    * Dundee
    * Priesthill and Househillwood in South West Glasgow
    * Stevenston in North Ayrshire
    * Viewpark in North Lanarkshire

The consultation on revising the 2006 Diabetes Action Plan is being carried out by the Scottish Diabetes Group and Diabetes UK Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government.

The eight pilot Healthy Weight Communities have been inspired by two French projects, EPODE (Preventing Childhood Obesity Together) and its predecessor Villes Santés, which showed participating towns reversing obesity trends. Childhood obesity and maternal weight gain were cut over a number of years while "control" towns saw both rise.

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