TENS of thousands of York residents are clinically obese, a report from City of York Council has claimed.

The Childhood Obesity Task Group report investigated whether current council provision was effectively tackling childhood obesity in the city.

The report showed that in 2007, an estimated 41,808 adult residents in York (about a fifth of the population) had a Body Mass Index (BMI) rating of 30 or more and were classed as “obese”, while 3,136 were classed as “morbidly obese”, with BMI of over 40.

The report also showed that hundreds of schoolchildren across the region were classed as obese, though figures from the National Child Measurement Programme showed obese reception-age children in the city had dropped from 8.4 per cent to 6.7 per cent since 2006.

A separate NHS report found York had better-than-average childhood obesity figures in 2009, and praised the city’s Local Area Agreement for prioritising inequalities in health, childhood obesity and physical activity.

It also found childhood obesity levels in the region were significantly better than the national average, while adult obesity was in line with the national average.

The group recommended a dedicated lead officer should be appointed within the council, to establish “pathways of intervention” throughout childhood and young adulthood, though The Press understands this will not be implemented until at least the end of the year.

The group also recommended a revision of what NHS North Yorkshire and York (NYY) commission from school nurses to include more work on supporting families and childhood obesity programmes.

Greg McGrath, health improvement manager at NYY, said initiatives already in place across York had helped combat obesity levels in children.

He said: “The programme, which started last year, is aimed at seven to 13-year-olds, and involves parents or carers as well as children. So far it’s done a great job in making sure those at risk are targeted and get involved in time. In other areas of the country the programme hasn’t done so well, but so far 40 children have taken the ten-week course, and the results look positive.”