Annual report delivers diagnosis on health of the county

The annual report from the county’s director of public health, Dr Jonathan McWilliam, showed 55 per cent of adults were classed as overweight or obese in 2014/15.

The report also said 17 per cent of children were overweight or obese – an increase of just under two percentage points from last year.

The figures are lower than the English averages, with adult obesity standing at 64 per cent and child obesity at 19 per cent.

But in Oxford, 21 per cent of children are overweight or obese, two per cent above the national average.

Dr McWilliam said: “Obesity is an epidemic which has not yet reached its peak.

“It is said that every epidemic eventually reaches its peak and then falls.

“That happened with smoking. Rates went up and up for decades and have now come down again.

“We may have turned the corner with drinking patterns as well, but with obesity I do not think we have reached the top of the curve yet.

“There really is no silver bullet, no one solution. “We all have a part to play. Every individual, every parent can take action.

“I think people know the basics of what to do. It is about exercising more, it is about eating well, it is about being aware of the health risks.”

The report recommended that district councils also had their part to play. It suggested a focus on providing green spaces, leisure centres and play areas when looking at housing developments could help battle obesity.

It also said Oxfordshire County Council’s health improvement board should continuously review its strategy to keep on top of the issue.

Dr McWilliam added: “All of our services are working well to combat obesity.

“By building cycle paths and walking routes we can improve things.

“I am hoping we have reached a peak on childhood obesity.”

An adult is defined as overweight or obese if their body mass index (BMI) is 25kg per metre squared or above (a BMI of 25).

This is worked out by dividing an adult’s weight in kilograms by their height in metres and then dividing the answer by their height again.

A healthy BMI for adults is between 18.5 and 24.9.

Children’s BMI is calculated differently and is normally done by a health professional, who takes into account their weight in relation to their height, age and sex.

Dr McWilliam said informing young people was an important factor in tackling childhood obesity.

He said: “It is about children making their own choices, better informed children.

“Gradually the tide starts to turn and we will see that.

“It is too early to say when it will go but my job is to raise awareness with people, parents and schools.”

He added that the role of school nurses had already proved to be crucial in getting to grips with obesity in childhood.

In March 2014 a deal was signed by the county council, Oxford Health and the NHS Foundation Trust to ensure every secondary school in Oxfordshire would have its own full-time nurse.

Bicester man James Bond has lost 30 stone since 2014 and now weighs about 16 stone. He said that authorities could still do more to help people in their battle with the bulge.

The 38-year-old said: “Health services should help more with healthy eating plans and menus. I did not get help from social services when I was losing weight.

“They should be able to help people draw up menus. I can do so much more now. I can cycle and sit in a chair without thinking it is going to break.”

Tackling problem of loneliness can save the NHS money

BIG ISSUE: Liz Helliwell, left, with Enid Hedge 

Tackling loneliness among the elderly will help people stay healthy and live longer and save the health service money, Jonathan McWilliam has said.

In his annual report, Dr McWilliam said Oxfordshire’s ageing population is the county’s number one health care challenge.

He warned: “Loneliness is now firmly established as a risk factor for poor health in old age.” 

But he said beating isolation could ease the pressure.

The report recommends that the county’s health organisations do more to point elderly people towards “befriending services” and “lunch clubs”.

One such club is Blackbird Leys’ weekly elderly get-together “Friendleys”at the Blackbird Leys Community Centre.

Set up about a year ago by Liz Helliwell, 71, it now attracts up to 20 visitors a week. 

Dr William said increased risks associated with loneliness include depression and suicide, cardiovascular disease and stroke, stress, decreased memory and alcoholism.

The number of over-65s in one-person households dropped or stayed the same in every Oxfordshire district from 2001 to 2011.

But the proportion of older people living in isolated hamlets in Oxfordshire is about one per cent higher than the UK average.

The total number of over-85s in Oxfordshire is expected to increase from about 16,000 at present to more than 46,000 by 2045.

Dr McWilliam said: “The population is living longer, often with complex health needs and all services will have to change as a result.”

Disability-free life expectancy in Oxfordshire – 68 years for men and 69 for women – remains “significantly” above the national average.

Dr McWilliam recommended: “Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group and NHS England should work with GPs to consider loneliness as a risk factor for disease and consider how affected individuals could be signposted to use local resources such as befriending services and lunch clubs.”

He also warned that incidence of dementia is likely to increase with an ageing population.

The number diagnosed with dementia rose from 2,500 (just under 0.4 per cent of the total population) to 4,000 (just under 0.6 per cent) between 2006 and 2014. The report said recorded cases may be only 50 per cent of the total.