Parents in Gedling borough are being encouraged to use the new Sugar Smart app and give their children a healthy start to the New Year.
Currently, 20.7% of four to five-year-olds are overweight or obese in the county, increasing to 30.7%in 10 to 11-year-olds. This means they are more likely to become obese adults who are more prone to a range of serious health problems, such as heart disease, some cancers and Type 2 diabetes. Nationally, there are now 2.5 million people suffering from Type 2 diabetes, 90% of which are overweight or obese.
The new Sugar Smart app has been launched to help parents to see how much sugar there is in everyday food and drink. The free app works by scanning the barcode of products and revealing the amount of total sugar it contains in cubes and grams.
Coun Joyce Bosnjak, chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board said: “The latest child obesity figures for the county highlight how important it is for families to cut back on sugar in the diet. Sugar is lurking in everyday food and drink, taking children over the maximum recommended amount. This can lead to painful tooth decay, weight gain and obesity, which can also affect children’s wellbeing as they are more likely to be bullied, have low self-esteem and miss school.
“Parents can download the Sugar Smart app and take control of the amount of sugar their family consumes, to protect them from the health risks of having too much sugar.”
