Overweight town fights the flab

By Alex Moss
BBC News, Barnsley

More than a third of 10 to 11-year-olds in Barnsley are overweight

A former mining town in South Yorkshire has the highest number of obese people in England, according to new figures.

The so-called "fat map", released by analysts Dr Foster, said 10.8% of people in Barnsley were obese.

Much like the weight gain of some of its people, obesity levels in Barnsley have crept up slowly over the years.

Cultural and social changes have tipped the scales towards a pattern of weight gain and the effects have been noticeable in former mining pockets.

It's a statistic that is hard to swallow for many residents who strongly perceive the town as no different to other areas.

A couple of years ago it was in the news saying that Barnsley had the ugliest women in England, now we're being told everyone is fat Local cafe owner

Stephanie Rishworth, 22, said: "If you look around people are about an average size 12 to 14, but that's not obese.

"I can see why people gain weight, I'm a mum and it is not cheap to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. I buy mainly frozen food because it lasts a lot longer."

One local business woman, who runs a cafe in the town, said the suggestion Barnsley was an obesity hotspot was "insulting".

"A couple of years ago it was in the news saying that Barnsley had the ugliest women in England, now we're being told everyone is fat.

"It is extremely unfair. Barnsley is no worse than any other town or city."

'Eating culture'

The "obesity crisis" is nothing new to local health officials who have been working to reduce the problem for a number of years.

Dr Paul Redgrave, director of public health at Barnsley Primary Care Trust (PCT), said: "The rationale is that for many years people did heavy, manual jobs coupled with a high calorie intake.

"Very suddenly these industrial jobs stopped but the culture of eating continued.

Map highlights 'obesity hotspots'

"This is isn't just a Barnsley phenomenon. It has happened in other post-industrial towns.

"However, it is a very serious problem here and we recognise that."

Obesity levels have trebled since the 1980s on a local, national and international scale.

In Barnsley, more than a third of 10 to 11-year-olds are overweight.

Life expectancy in Barnsley is as much as 11 years less compared to other parts of the borough.

For health officials, the causes of obesity are complex and in today's lifestyle there are more opportunities to gain weight than lose it.

So what is the diet plan for Barnsley?

The answer is modelled on a successful scheme aimed at reducing high levels of coronary heart disease in Finland.

'Cooking sessions'

Four years ago a public health team from the PCT were sent to see the workings of a programme in Finland, which has since been implemented in the town.

Dr Redgrave said it works on a number of levels but is based on promoting and supporting lifestyle changes.

"We are really pushing physical activity. Walking clubs have sprung up all over the town and we now have 400 people taking part every month," he said.

"We have reinvented rambling which has always had a long tradition here and are building better infrastructure such as cycle paths and opening up walkways and rights of way."

Coupled with this is better education surrounding nutrition, encouraging employers to push work place health and improving public transport.

"Allotments have been introduced to schools and cook and eat sessions are being run with children and their parents. These have proved remarkably successful.

"We have tough targets to meet but we reaching them. This is not an overnight change. It will take a generation until we actually see progress reflected in figures."