Portsmouth adults are among most overweight in the south east according to Public Health England

Figures from Public Health England show 66 per cent of adults in Portsmouth were classed as overweight or obese in 2018-19, the latest period for which data is available.

This was among the highest proportions in the region, where the average stood at 61 per cent.

Separate Public Health England figures show that 26 per cent of children aged four to five years old in Portsmouth were overweight or obese in the 2018-19 academic year.

This rose to 37 per cent for those in Year 6 – the final year of primary school.

Across Hampshire, nearly two thirds of adults were in the overweight or obese category at 62 per cent, which is on a par with the England average.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson – who said he struggles with his own weight – has announced a range of measures to help people shed the pounds, including a ban on some junk food promotions and stricter advertising controls.

It comes after a Public Health England report found being overweight or obese can dramatically increase the risk of being admitted to hospital or dying from Covid-19.

Doctors, charities and campaign groups have welcomed the plans, but some say they don’t go far enough.

Professor Dame Parveen Kumar, board of science chairwoman at the British Medical Association, said obesity can have a devastating impact on people’s health, including the increased risk from the coronavirus.

She added: ‘As the Government’s new strategy recognises, this has been a real wake-up call for the nation, and it’s imperative that we use this opportunity to make changes for good, not only for society today, but also for generations to come.’

Katharine Jenner, campaign director at charity Action on Sugar and Action on Salt, welcomed the news but said it was a ‘missed opportunity’ not to introduce mandatory targets on removing sugar and salt calories from products and that it was ‘absurd’ the soft drinks levy – a tax on soft drinks – was not extended to other sugary edibles.

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