Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of delaying the introduction of legislation to protect children from junk food advertising until 2025.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
We have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on improving health and wellbeing, including measures to reduce obesity.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the reasons for the trend in the level of type two diabetes in (a) young adults and (b) children in the last five years; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of type two diabetes in these groups.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
No specific assessment has been made. Obesity is one of the leading causes for type 2 diabetes, including in children and young people. New regulations on out of home calorie labelling for food sold in large businesses, including restaurants, cafes and takeaways, came into force in April 2022. Additionally, restrictions on the promotion by location of products high in fat, salt or sugar came into force on 1 October 2022. We are also working with the food industry to ensure it is easier for the public to make healthier choices and make further progress on reformulation.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the relationship between child poverty, diet and wellbeing.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
While no specific assessment has been made on the relationship between child poverty, diet and wellbeing, findings from the 2021/22 National Child Measurement Programme annual report show the prevalence of obesity for children in the most deprived areas continues to be more than double that of those in the least deprived areas.
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities monitors quantitative information on food consumption, nutrient intakes, nutritional status and related characteristics in the general population through the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS). Since 2021, food security questions have been included in the NDNS.
The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) advises the Government on nutrition and health. SACN’s risk assessments and advice include specific reference to health inequality issues and vulnerable groups, such as infants, the elderly and ethnic minorities.
Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of childhood obesity.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
New Regulations on out of home calorie labelling for food sold in large businesses, including restaurants, cafes and takeaways, came into force in April 2022. Restrictions on the promotion by location of products high in fat, salt or sugar came into force on 1 October 2022. We are also working with the food industry to ensure it is easier for the public to make healthier choices and make further progress on reformulation.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps has he taken to work with key stakeholders on reducing childhood obesity levels in (a) Slough constituency and (b) Berkshire.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities South East supports stakeholders in the region, including Slough and Berkshire, to consider approaches to address childhood obesity. Stakeholders from Slough and Berkshire have participated in regional network meetings relating to childhood obesity, where information on national policy, evidence and data insights is shared.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce obesity levels.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
New Regulations on out of home calorie labelling for food sold in large businesses including restaurants, cafes and takeaways came into force in April 2022 and restrictions on the promotion by location of products high in fat, salt or sugar in large retail settings came into force on 1 October. We are also working with the food industry to ensure it is easier for people to make healthier choices and increase progress on the reformulation of foods. In addition, weight management services are available to support adults and children living with obesity to achieve a healthier weight.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional steps she is taking to help reduce levels of childhood obesity in (a) Halton (b) Cheshire West and Chester.
Answered by Caroline Johnson
We are working with the food industry to ensure people can make healthier choices and increase progress on the reformulation of foods. In addition, there is a range of support to help children living with obesity to achieve and maintain a healthier weight.
The North West Children and Young People Obesity Group, chaired by the North West Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, is working alongside the Children and Young People NHS Transformation North West Programme and Children with Complications of Excess Weight Clinics to develop plans to reduce levels of childhood obesity in the region.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she will take to reduce obesity levels among primary school-aged children.
Answered by Caroline Johnson
We remain committed to ensuring people can live healthier lives and addressing obesity.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle obesity.
Answered by Caroline Johnson
New Regulations on out-of-home calorie labelling for food sold in large businesses, including restaurants, cafes and takeaways, came into force on 6 April 2022. We are also working with the food industry to ensure it is easier for people to make healthier choices and increase progress on the reformulation of foods. In addition, weight management services are available to support adults and children living with obesity to achieve a healthier weight.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the prevalence of (a) diabetes, (b) heart disease, (c) hypertension, (d) high cholesterol, (e) obesity, (f) cancer, (g) poor eye health and (h) mental illness levels among people from the South Asian community in England; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Caroline Johnson
‘Health Survey England Additional Analyses, Ethnicity and Health, 2011-2019 Experimental statistics’, published in June 2022, assesses the prevalence of commonly reported longstanding conditions, hypertension, diabetes and adult obesity. This data is available at the following link:
There are no recent estimates of raised cholesterol prevalence in South Asian ethnic groups in England. Data on the prevalence of child obesity by ethnic group are available from the National Child Measurement Programme. The latest data for 2021/21 show that prevalence of obesity in children aged four to five years old was below the national average for Indian children and above the national average for Bangladeshi and Pakistani children. In children aged 10 to 11 years old in 2021/20 prevalence of obesity was above the national average for Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani children.
Cancer prevalence counts the number of people living with and beyond a cancer diagnosis at a fixed point in time. Data from National Cancer Registration Dataset shows that in 2019, 47,761 people in the South Asian community were diagnosed with cancer between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2019 and were alive on 31 December 2019.
There is no national dataset that provides information on the prevalence of the main eye conditions. Estimates are derived from population modelling and information from the Certification of Vision Impairment (CVI) register. While the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is assessing the ethnicity data collected as part of the CVI register, no analysis has yet been completed.
The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey of 2014 provides prevalence estimates of some mental health conditions by broad ethnic group. The prevalence rates, taking account of age, in Asian/Asian British adults in England were 17.9% for common mental disorders; 5.8% screened positive for post-traumatic stress disorder; 0.9% for psychotic disorder in the last year; and 1.4% screened positive for bi-polar disorder. For all conditions except bi-polar disorder, although the prevalence is higher in the Asian group than the White British group it is not possible to say whether this is a statistically significant difference.