The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) supported the Committee during the inquiry phase with written evidence and oral evidence from Dr Dana Beasley RCPCH Deputy Officer for Wales, in which she highlighted the importance of healthy weight in childhood.
Commenting on the findings of the inquiry, Dr Dana Beasley, RCPCH Deputy Officer for Wales says:
This report shines a spotlight on what I and many of my colleagues have known for years. Healthy weight in childhood is crucial in preventing chronic diseases, supporting better physical development and learning, and building lifelong healthy habits. And yet, every day, paediatricians witness families grappling with the challenges of maintaining a healthy weight in childhood, often without the support they need and with profound consequences.
It’s impossible to ignore the report’s findings that poorer children are far more likely to be obese or overweight than their richer peers. This is a long-standing health inequality, and it is clear to paediatricians that progress on childhood obesity cannot be achieved without also addressing our out-of-control rates of childhood poverty and deprivation. The Committee’s findings must be a call for action.
We support the report’s recommendations and call on the Welsh Government to deliver the ambition of Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales with a stronger focus on prevention, early intervention and a whole systems approach to weight management. This must include delivering on the commitments to support families on low incomes, provide healthier food in schools and NHS settings, greater education around healthy eating for children and young people, increase opportunities for physical activity, and restrict the promotion of foods high in fat, sugar and salt.