Residents are being urged to share their views on a strategy aiming to help tackle the large numbers of people becoming overweight or obese in Cambridgeshire.

The Cambridgeshire Health Weight Strategy comes at a time of significant and rising costs related to unhealthy weight, with a recent study revealing that two thirds of adults in the county are not at a healthy weight and one in five are obese.

The statistics involving school children are perhaps the most worrying, with almost 20 per cent of school children aged four to five overweight, with the number rising to one in four in those aged 10 to 11.

The costs of obesity include £5.1 billion to the NHS and other costs such as social care and days of sickness amount to £27 billion and communities and local organisations are being asked their views on the strategy which aims to combat the rising costs.

It calls for action to support children and adults achieve and maintain a healthy weight and is asking people in the county work together to address the high numbers of children and adults who do not have healthy weight.

Val Thomas, consultant in public health at Cambridgeshire County Council said: “The reasons for people having an unhealthy weight are very complex. We will not succeed in increasing the number of people who have a healthy weight and decreasing the risks to their health unless individuals, communities and organisations work together.

“It is important that people locally have their say, share their understanding of the issue and ideas about how we tackle this growing problem.”

To give your views, visit www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/HealthyWeight/.