Parents in Hounslow are being encouraged to get behind the Sugar Smart campaign and take control of their children’s sugar intake.

Obesity is a problem in Hounslow, and recent data revealed around 20.9% of four to five-year-olds are overweight in the borough, with the figure increasing to 37.7% in children aged 10 to 11.

A high sugar intake can cause fat to build up inside the body and lead to serious health problems in adult life such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and even some cancers.

The Change4Life campaign was launched by Public Health England (PHE) on Monday (January 4) along with a free new Sugar Smart app which works by scanning the barcode of a product to reveal the total amount of sugar in cubes or grammes, allowing parents to monitor how much sugar there is in everyday food and drink.

Councillor Ed Mayne, cabinet member for public health and leisure said: “The latest child obesity figures for the borough 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 Hounslow to download the new Sugar Smart app and take control of the amount of sugar their family consumes, to protect them from the health risks of having too much sugar.”

The campaign was rolled out after a survey with Netmums users found nearly half (47%) of mums surveyed thought their family has too much sugar in their diets and two-thirds of mums (67%) are worried about the amount of sugar their children consume.

Guidelines state that no more than 10% of a person’s daily calorie intake should be made up of sugar, but at present, children aged four to 10 are consuming up to 50% more than this.

Recommended daily maximum added sugar intake

  • 19g or five sugar cubes for four to six-year-olds
  • 24g or six sugar cubes for seven to 10-year-olds
  • 30g or seven sugar cubes for 11-year-olds and older

To assist in tackling the problem, Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust’s healthy weight team and Fusion Sports have partnered up to deliver two activity and information days at Hanworth Leisure Centre on Tuesday (January 12) and Thursday (January 14) between 3.30pm and 5pm.

Kiran Sharma, children’s healthy weight advisor for the Hounslow healthy weight team, said: “We encourage local families to come along to these events to find out more about obesity, how to achieve a healthy weight and make good lifestyle choices.”

Singer and TV presenter Jamelia stars in a series of short Sugar Smart films warning parents about health harms associated with too much sugar intake including obesity and tooth decay.

Change4Life reveals the sugar content of:

  • a 43g chocolate bar contains six cubes of sugar
  • a 200ml juice drink contains over five cubes
  • a can of cola contains nine sugar cubes

Recommended simple sugar swaps

  • The breakfast swap: sugary cereal for plain/wholewheat cereal
  • The drink swap: from sugary drinks to sugar-free or no-added-sugar drinks
  • The after school swap: for example from muffin to fruited teacake
  • The pudding swap: for example from ice cream to low-fat lower-sugar yoghurt