58% of adults are obese or overweight in N.Wales... But Gwynedd has lowest figure

A GRIEVING granddaughter recently completed the Snowdon By Night challenge to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease foundation.

Emma Lewis, 25, pictured below, from Porthmadog, took to the slopes of Snowdon in memory of her Grandmother, Dilys, who passed away from Motor Neurone Disease in 2014.

The admin assistant for the Early Years Department of Gwynedd Council said: “I wanted to raise money by doing something out of my comfort zone.

“I thought about walking up Snowdon as I’ve never been before. Then I came across an MND leaflet that had the Snowdon By Night Challenge.” THE number of fat people in North Wales has reached a record high with almost 60% of all adults classed as obese or overweight.

Results of a major health survey published last week reveal the region is getting fatter and unhealthier, but binge drinking levels have fallen to an all-time low.

The Welsh Health Survey carried out by the Welsh Government shows 58% of people living in the region are classed as being overweight or obese – the highest figure ever recorded – with 22% of that total classed as obese.

Denbighshire is the fattest part of the region with 21% obese and 61% in total classed as overweight.

A person is judged to be obese if they have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more.

Gwynedd has, with 53%, the least amount of overweight adults in North Wales.

The survey shows that we are also eating unhealthily with just 34% managing to eat their five-aday

This is the worst level of healthy eating since the records started back in 2008.

Three in 10 people in North Wales also admit to doing less than 30 minutes of exercise a week.

One positive piece of good news to come out of the report is that North Walians are binge drinking less to an all-time low of 24%.

North Wales, at 22%, has the second highest level of smokers in the country – up to 2% on the previous year.

Minister for Social Services and Public Health Rebecca Evans, said the smoking signs showed that the people of Wales had embraced a change in culture around smoking.

She said: “While the results of the survey show signs of improvement – especially in regards to smoking – there are still areas where there is work to be done.

“We need to make more progress on obesity and activity levels, and I am confident our decision to integrate grassroots sport and health policy will help us do this.

“We will continue to support people to take small steps to improve their lifestyle and to reduce the risk of preventable illness.”