HEALTH experts have identified diabetes as the fastest growing chronic condition in Australia and among those being affected are children in the Central West who are overweight or obese.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
While health workers from the Western NSW Local Health District (LHD) run programs to reduce childhood obesity in communities such as Orange, a NSW Upper House inquiry is also looking at how to counteract the threat of the disease.
Coinciding with National Diabetes Week, Social Issues Committee chairwoman Bronnie Taylor said diabetes was one of many health concerns that inspired the inquiry.
“Obesity in children is a significant problem that leads to terrible health outcomes. Currently, more than one in five children in NSW are overweight or obese and the committee intends to raise awareness on this important issue,” she said.
“The committee is keen to hear from parents and children, including 13 to 18 year olds, about what would help them follow a healthier lifestyle or issues they are facing when it comes to dealing with childhood obesity.”
Western NSW LHD nutrition and dietetic adviser Penny Small said the increase in the number of overweight and obese children was a trend across the region.
“We do find overweight and obesity is exacerbated in rural NSW,” Dr Small said.
“After South Western Sydney [LHD], Western NSW and Far Western [LHD] have the highest rate of childhood obesity in the state, the Western NSW LHD is the second highest rate among secondary students.”
She said while South Western LHD had an obesity rate of 7.2 per cent among secondary students, the Western NSW LHD had a rate of 6.7 per cent in 2014.
Western NSW LHD acting healthy weight coordinator Julie Smith oversees early-childhood program Munch and Move and primary school-based Live Life Well at School in the region.
She said preliminary discussions have started for an overweight and obesity program – to be piloted in the Central West - tailored to secondary school students.
Ms Smith said the existing programs are targeted at early childhood centres, preschools and primary schools and involve teacher training to encourage children to choose to drink water, eat fruit and vegetables and move more.
She said Munch and Move had a 94 per cent uptake and Live Life Well at School had 84 per cent of schools take part across the health district.
