13.01.14
Obesity crisis could be worse than Foresight ‘doomsday scenario’
The UK risks exceeding the worst case scenario on obesity, the National Obesity Forum has warned.
Its new report, State of the Nation’s Waistline, calls for more forceful public health campaigns to tackle obesity. The forum analyses the prediction made in the 2007 Foresight Report that over 50% of the population could be obese by 2050, costing nearly £50bn.
Public Health England recently estimated that 60% of men, 50% of women and 25% of children could be obese by this date.
Published at the start of National Obesity Awareness Week, the report calls for primary healthcare professionals to proactively discuss weight management with patients, to routinely measure children’s height and weight, and to check adult waist circumference. Greater attention on hydration and healthy drinking is also essential.
Professor David Haslam, chair of the National Obesity Forum, and a member of NHE’s editorial board, said: “We’re now seven years on from the Foresight Report. Not only is the obesity situation in the UK not improving, but the doomsday scenario set out in that report might underestimate the true scale of the problem.
“There needs to be concerted action. There is a lot more we can be doing by way of earlier intervention and to encourage members of the public to take sensible steps to help themselves – but this goes hand in hand with government leadership and ensuring responsible food and drink manufacturing and retailing.
“We need more proactive engagement by healthcare professionals on weight management, more support and better signposting to services for people who are already obese, and more importance placed on what we drink and how it affects our health. We’ve seen hard hitting campaigns against smoking and it’s time to back up the work that’s already being done with a similar approach for obesity.”
Professor Haslam, who is also a GP, wrote a major article on obesity for the November/December 2013 edition of NHE, which can be found here.
Cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra added: “Obesity represents the greatest threat to health worldwide with poor diet contributing to more disease than physical inactivity, smoking and alcohol combined. It took 50 years from the first scientific studies linking smoking to lung cancer before any effective public health interventions were implemented because the Tobacco industry was able to implement a strategy of denial, planting doubt and confusing the public about the negative effects of their products.
“We see the food industry adopting similar strategies such as junk food companies sponsoring sporting events and athlete endorsements of sugary drinks with advertising that targets the most vulnerable members of society including children. Regular physical activity is vital for health but loses its value when people continue to consume poorly nutritious foods high in sugar, salt and trans-fats.”
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