• THOSE who caught the documentary The Truth About Obesity on BBC One late last Thursday evening will have seen Camden High Street clearly in the background; we also heard the quite startling statistic that there are 402 takeaway food outlets in the borough.

Apparently living near takeaways is a good indicator of obesity in the local population. It helps to go to the gym, but it is relatively hard to burn up calories that way. What really helps people to lose weight is a generally more active lifestyle and eating more high-fibre foods.

The St Pancras & Somers Town ward has double the rate of diabetes than the rest of Camden and the prevalence of overweight adults is 1.5 times the rest of Camden. Also there is the dreadful and lingering statistic that lives in our ward are up to 10 years shorter than some parts of the borough.

The report, Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives in St Pancras & Somers Town by Lana Simpson of Camden and Islington Public Health (available on Camden’s Open Data website), identifies opportunities for local actions to guide and support residents to better health.

Taking even some of these actions will help the futures of our residents. We can make a difference, but it will take time.

CLLR PAUL TOMLINSON
Labour, St Pancras & Somers Town ward