£70,000 cash boost to help tackle high obesity levels in Gosport
A grant of £70,000 has been awarded to help tackle high obesity levels in Gosport.
The funding, which will run for up to two years, will support new initiatives aimed at helping residents maintain a healthier weight.
In 2022/23, 74.6 per cent of adults were classified as overweight or obese, along with significant proportions of children.
Data for 2023/24 shows that 25.8 per cent of children aged four to five, and 41.3 per cent of those aged 10 to 11, were overweight or obese.
Director of Public Health Simon Bryant said the figures make Gosport “the highest in the county”.
Mr Bryant added: “We know the factors for obesity are multifactorial, and there are a number of things we can do together to improve the health of the population.
“This approach is bringing a whole group of people together, with small grants through the borough council and the voluntary sector, to tackle the drivers of obesity.”
Approving the expenditure, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, Cllr Stephen Reid, said the initiative will target a very specific “problem area.”
Cllr Reid said: “The successful outcome would be for people to have lost weight and to have prevented diseases like coronary disease and type 2 diabetes, and the complications associated with obesity.”
Up to £70,000 from the government’s Public Health Grant will be made available in 2025/26, with Gosport Borough Council distributing the funding to local organisations.
Progress will be measured through indicators such as increased physical activity, healthier eating habits, programme attendance and, where appropriate, weight loss.
Projects could include a walking-for-health programme with school groups, a school-holiday cooking and wellbeing project, physical activity classes for adults, or the creation of a network of local champions in Gosport to promote the importance of health and wellbeing.