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Change4Life hits the road to help families get 'Sugar Smart'

This news article was published more than a year ago. Some of the information may no longer be accurate.

Published: 04/02/2016


Families in South Gloucestershire are invited to get ‘Sugar Smart’ on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 February when the Change4Life roadshow comes to King’s Chase Shopping Centre in Kingswood. The Sugar Smart campaign has been touring the country, visiting 25 shopping centres nationwide. Families will be able to see live demonstrations of the new Sugar Smart app, get free information packs and ask questions about sugar.

Through the Change4Life Sugar Smart campaign we are encouraging parents to take control of their children’s sugar intake, following revelations that four to 10-year-olds consume an estimated 5,500 sugar cubes a year (22kg), weighing the same as an average five-year-old.

The Sugar Smart roadshow will give shoppers the opportunity to see the app in action and find out how many sugar cubes are in everyday food and drink. Parents will be able to find out about maximum sugar guidelines and get tips on how to cut sugar consumption.

Currently, 17.8 per cent of four to five-year-olds are overweight or obese in South Gloucestershire, increasing to 27 per cent in 10 to 11-year-olds.

This means they are more likely to be bullied, have low self-esteem, miss school and become obese adults, 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 per cent of which are overweight or obese.

The Sugar Smart app has been developed to help parents see how much sugar is contained in everyday food and drink. The app has been downloaded more than 1 million times. A 43g chocolate bar contains six cubes of sugar, a 200ml juice drink contains over five cubes and there are nine sugar cubes in a can of cola, instantly taking children up to or over their recommended maximum for the day.

Justine Womack, Health and Wellbeing Programme Lead for Public Health England South West said: “The latest child obesity figures highlight the importance for families to cut back on sugar in the diet. Sugar is lurking in everyday food and drink, taking children well over the maximum recommended amount.
“We’re encouraging parents across the South West to download the new Sugar Smart app, attend the roadshow if they can and take control of the amount of sugar their family consumes, to protect them from the health risks of having too much sugar.”


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