Fight against obesity to receive more funding

Pete Hodgson

More money will be spent this year on fighting obesity, particularly in children, says Health Minister Pete Hodgson.

"The level of increase in people being overweight is starting to flatten off but it's still getting worse. It's just getting worse at a lesser rate."

In 2002/03, one in three adults was overweight, with one in five obese.

The 2002 Children's Nutrition Survey showed that about a third of New Zealand children between the ages of 5 and 14 were either overweight or obese.

Hospitals throughout the country are already spending hundreds of thousands of dollars buying bigger beds and equipment to cope with bigger New Zealanders.

Standard electrically-controlled beds, costing about $4000, can handle up to 240kg - almost a quarter of the weight of a Toyota Corolla - but super-sized beds capable of holding up to 350kg cost at least $12,500 each, and also require a hoist to lift patients.

Mr Hodgson has directed his officials to steer more money towards obesity-related projects, while looking to trim spending in other areas.

"It's almost impossible to say, 'Oh, it's going to come out of hips, or it's going to come out of kids' teeth'."

The health spending would be a matter of prioritisation, but Mr Hodgson wants to see a faster implementation of the healthy schools programme, more research into obesity and "lots of things in between".

He wants to put more of the ministry's Healthy Eating-Healthy Action (Heha) strategy into action - one of which is the free fruit in schools project, which will expand this year.

Mr Hodgson would not say which parts of Heha will be prioritised.

"I've got my own views, but I'd rather hang on to them until I've received more views from others."

Much of what was being proposed would not be expensive, he said.

Mr Hodgson ruled out a tax on fatty foods.

"The minute you start thinking it through, as with a sugar tax or a salt tax, it really is not going to work."

Obesity, particularly in children, was an area where the country appeared to be going backwards, he said, and its effects were already being seen in diabetes statistics.

"There's no doubt that a dollar spent on helping a child understand how their body works, and what's good for them nutritionally, is going to mean health dollars saved much later. But it's also going to mean a life less likely blighted by diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or some cancers."

The shape of the health budget will be known in March.