Health leaders "bury" numbers of obesity among black and Asian children

Tens of thousands of black and Asian children are threatened by politically correct health officials who deliberately ignore an obesity crisis that affects ethnic minorities.

The bomb figures released by The Mail on Sunday reveal that nearly twice as many black and Asian children are obese when they leave primary school than their white counterparts.

But officials of Public Health England (PHE), the government body responsible for improving the country's health, admitted that, although they are aware of the shocking statistics, they have chosen to take no specific action .

Earlier this year, PHE published a landmark report on childhood obesity, but it made no mention of the epidemic, although the obesity crisis among ethnic minority children has increased at a rapid pace. alarming these last ten years.

Last night, critics accused health officials of putting "political sensitivities" in front of the need for urgent action – and asked PHE to tackle the "time bomb against obesity".

Conservative MP Andrew Selous, chair of the influential multi-party parliamentary group on obesity, said: "It is time for PHE to rise to the challenge, focus and target the specific ethnicities where obesity is high among children. . By failing to cope with this crisis, EPS is guilty of false compassion. "

Labor MP Keith Vaz, President of the APPG on Diabetes, said: "I am afraid that PHE officials are too shy to deal with this obesity crisis. Because of political sensitivities, we have avoided highlighting this crucial problem. "

According to new statistics, which appear in the Department of Health's own assessment regarding their historical report on childhood obesity, 17.7% of white British children are obese by the time they leave elementary school – less than the UK average of 20%. hundred.

The obesity rate is almost twice as high among black children: 29.9% of Black Caribbean children and 29.8% of Black African children are obese by the age of 11. 26.4% of Pakistani children are obese 28.4% of Bangladeshi children.

Experts warn that obesity, including heart disease, stroke and cancer, can cause more than 50 life-threatening diseases. And obesity is a particularly pressing problem for Asian people who are six times more likely to get type 2 diabetes.

According to Professor Wasim Hanif, one of Britain's leading experts on diabetes, epigenetics – or the evolution of gene behavior that the environment causes – is a key factor in explaining this situation. He said that black and Asian children come from areas of the world where there have historically been food shortages. Because of this "genetic inheritance", their bodies are more likely to store fat. He said, "If you give the same food to a white kid and an Asian kid, the Asian kid will have more weight."

He added that blacks and Asians also have lower levels of brown fat, which turns calories into heat, resulting in extra weight.

Yet, despite overwhelming evidence, health officials acknowledged that there were no programs to fill the growing chasm and that ongoing efforts would not even be helpful. According to the PHE report, childhood obesity policies "are not differentiated by race". He continues: "The differences in the prevalence of obesity among ethnic groups are diverse and it is difficult to say how the different groups will benefit from the policies … If the causes are genetic or specific to the lifestyles adopted by certain socio-economic groups, then be equally affected by these policies.

The decision not to carry out a targeted campaign contradicts the many health programs aimed specifically at black communities and ethnic minorities.

Last year, PHE launched a campaign against prostate cancer specifically targeting black men who are at greater risk of contracting the disease.

The scale of Britain's childhood obesity crisis comes as child obesity services face cuts of more than £ 5 million this year – despite the government's commitment to Halve the problem by 2030

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Services, of which PHE is an executive agency, said: "We are taking targeted action by working with councils to address local inequalities and ethnic disparities in their regions.