Episode 14: Childhood Obesity with Dr Shamila Wanninayake, @DrShamilaW. Charlie and Rachel speak to Shamila, an NHS GP who has been interested in obesity her entire career. She currently represents Primary Care on the Oxfordshire County Council ‘Healthy weight in childhood’ multidisciplinary group and she also sits on the National Child Measurement Programme Board (NCMP). She lobby’s central government for change in policy through a number of means including her role on Council at the Royal College of General Practitioners and also through the Child Alliance group – an All Party Parliamentary Group on a Fit and Health Childhood. They discuss the complexity of obesity and why it is crucial that we start addressing it and preventing it in children.

1:30 Introduction and Lambing update

5:10 Introduction to Dr Shamila Wanninayake

6:30 The importance of childhood obesity in Shamila's own words

11:50 How big is the issue of childhood Obesity?

15:10 Why is childhood obesity a problem?

16:20 The relation to poverty and ethnic minority

18:30 The Child Alliance Group

20:30 Policy requestions including Free school meals for all and National school breakfast scheme

24:25 The School and Nursery Milk alliance, https://www.snma.org.uk/

31:45 Ultra-processed food

34:20 The World Obesity tables

37:20 Talking about weight with children

39:55 Malnutrition obesity

28:00 The benefit of universal free school meals