Effects of local authority expenditure on childhood obesity

TY - JOUR

T1 - Effects of local authority expenditure on childhood obesity

AU - Liu, Dan

AU - Mason, Anne

AU - Marks, Linda

AU - Davis, Howard

AU - Hunter, David J.

AU - Jehu, Llinos Mary

AU - Smithson, Joanne

AU - Visram, Shelina

N1 - © The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association.

PY - 2019/8

Y1 - 2019/8

N2 - BackgroundUnder the 2013 reforms introduced by the Health and Social Care Act (2012), public health responsibilities in England were transferred from the National Health Service to local authorities (LAs). Ring-fenced grants were introduced to support the new responsibilities. The aim of our study was to test whether the level of expenditure in 2013/14 affected the prevalence of childhood obesity in 2016/17.MethodsWe used National Child Measurement Programme definitions of childhood obesity and datasets. We used LA revenue returns data to derive three measures of per capita expenditure: childhood obesity (<19); physical activity (<19) and the Children’s 5–19 Public Health Programme. We ran separate negative binomial models for two age groups of children (4–5 year olds; 10–11 year olds) and conducted sensitivity analyses.ResultsWith few exceptions, the level of spend in 2013/14 was not significantly associated with the level of childhood obesity in 2016/17. We identified some positive associations between spend on physical activity and the Children’s Public Health Programme at baseline (2013/14) and the level of childhood obesity in children aged 4–5 in 2016/17, but the effect was not evident in children aged 10–11. In both age groups, LA levels of childhood obesity in 2016/17 were significantly and positively associated with obesity levels in 2013/14. As these four cohorts comprise entirely different pupils, this underlines the importance of local drivers of childhood obesity.ConclusionsHigher levels of local expenditure are unlikely to be effective in reducing childhood obesity in the short term.

AB - BackgroundUnder the 2013 reforms introduced by the Health and Social Care Act (2012), public health responsibilities in England were transferred from the National Health Service to local authorities (LAs). Ring-fenced grants were introduced to support the new responsibilities. The aim of our study was to test whether the level of expenditure in 2013/14 affected the prevalence of childhood obesity in 2016/17.MethodsWe used National Child Measurement Programme definitions of childhood obesity and datasets. We used LA revenue returns data to derive three measures of per capita expenditure: childhood obesity (<19); physical activity (<19) and the Children’s 5–19 Public Health Programme. We ran separate negative binomial models for two age groups of children (4–5 year olds; 10–11 year olds) and conducted sensitivity analyses.ResultsWith few exceptions, the level of spend in 2013/14 was not significantly associated with the level of childhood obesity in 2016/17. We identified some positive associations between spend on physical activity and the Children’s Public Health Programme at baseline (2013/14) and the level of childhood obesity in children aged 4–5 in 2016/17, but the effect was not evident in children aged 10–11. In both age groups, LA levels of childhood obesity in 2016/17 were significantly and positively associated with obesity levels in 2013/14. As these four cohorts comprise entirely different pupils, this underlines the importance of local drivers of childhood obesity.ConclusionsHigher levels of local expenditure are unlikely to be effective in reducing childhood obesity in the short term.

KW - cell survival

KW - galectin-3

KW - modified citrus pectin

KW - urinary bladder cancer

KW - xenograft

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85047010227&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1093/eurpub/cky252

DO - 10.1093/eurpub/cky252

M3 - Article

SN - 1464-360X

VL - 29

SP - 785

EP - 790

JO - European Journal of Public Health

JF - European Journal of Public Health

IS - 4

ER -