• Child obesity statistics

The MoH define obese children as those in the 98th percentile and above.

BMI for age from 5th percentile up to the 85th percentile means a healthy weight  

BMI for age from 85th percentile up to the 95th percentile means the child is over weight  

BMI for age greater than 95th percentile means the child is obese  

Source: https://www.healthyfood.co.nz/advice/is-your-child-overweight-or-obese

The Annual Update of Key Results 2014/15: New Zealand Health Survey found that:

• one in nine children (aged 2–14 years) were obese (11%)
• a further 22% were children were overweight but not obese
• 15% of Māori children were obese
• 30% of Pacific children were obese
• children living in the most deprived areas were five times as likely to be obese as children living in the least deprived areas*
• the child obesity rate increased from 8% in 2006/07 to 11% in 2014/15.

The data values up to 91st percentile are reported and form the baseline for this indicator and are sourced from Bede Oulaghan - Data Analyst CMH. The data is taken from the B4 Schools Check and is provided to Bede by Kathy Casey at a suburb level only. Other Otara area data added by Bede to provide a fuller data set means that it may not be a perfect match to the domicile codes used for other Thriving Otara indicators. The data is reported monthly and annually by MoH.

The qualitative story behind the baseline is sourced from Group Think through the following hui.

• Thriving Otara Hui#1, 29 September 2016 (5 Hrs)
• Thriving Otara Hui#2, 04 November 2016 (2 Hrs)
• Thriving Otara Hui#3, 09 December 2016 (2 Hrs)
• Thriving Otara Hui#4, 26 January 2017 (2 Hrs)
• Thriving Otara Hui#5, 23 February 2017 (2 Hrs)
• Thriving Otara Hui#6, 23 March 2017 (2 Hrs)

What's helping to reduce the number of Otara kids becoming overweight or obese

• supportive environments such as Yendarra Primary, Te Puke Otara removing SSBs
• community champions e.g John Mann D65
• community programmes e.g. Crosspower, Southseas, Active Families

What's not helping to reduce the number of Otara kids becoming overweight or obese

• food environment poor -
  • no decent supermarket
  • too many cheap fast food options
  • low cost of unhealthy food and drinks e.g. star drinks
• cultural acceptability high re: -
  • quantity of food consumed
  • body size
  • celebrations always around and including large quantities of food
  • food losing it's whakapapa i.e. loss of relationship with food , where it comes from
• mental health issues
• calorific value of food - energy dense
• media
  • confusion of what is healthy, e.g. health star rating
  • advertising and sponsorship
• reduced or nil physical activity and exercise
  • loss of ability to play

Click here to download solutions from hui#6