Plan to tackle obesity in Worcestershire (From Worcester News)

Plan to tackle obesity in Worcestershire

12:10pm Friday 25th January 2013 in News

A PLAN has been put in place to tackle the increasing problem of obesity in Worcestershire.

The plan, which was produced by Worcestershire Health and Well Being Board, aims to reduce the levels of obesity in the county by encouraging people to eat more healthily and to do more exercise.

The Obesity Plan will cover a period from 2013 to 2016, setting up an action group to encourage residents to take responsibility for their own diet and physical activity, as well as looking at current environmental factors that limit people’s ability to make healthy choices.

Frances Howie, assistant director of public health, added: "We will be working with planners, licensing authorities and transport departments to ensure we know what impact fast food outlets and the lack of opportunities for physical activity has on people and what we can do to tackle this.

"We will be offering more opportunities for free exercise such as walking and cycling. There will also be close working with schools, nurseries, care homes and larger businesses to improve the nutritional content of food served at their premises as well as ensuring physical activity is built into the working day.

"At the end of the day, we must all take responsibility that what we eat and how much activity we get is consistent with being a healthy weight."