18.02.13
AoMRC sets out steps to tackle obesity
Sugary soft drinks should be taxed, according to the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC).
It is one of the key recommendations from its new report on tackling obesity, and it has set out an action plan with a particular focus on protecting children and young people from eating too much unhealthy food.
The AoMRC is calling for a ban on fast-food restaurants close to schools and colleges; food standards to be mandatory in all UK hospitals; £100m spent each year for the next three to increase provision of weight management services; and traffic light food labelling to include calorie information for children.
Soft drinks should be increased in price by at least 20%, and advertising foods high in saturated fat, sugar and salt before 9pm should be banned, the report states.
24% of women and 22% of men in the UK are classed as obese, and the UK has the highest rate of obesity in Europe. The problem could be costing the NHS £10bn a year by 2050, the AoMRC has warned.
Professor Terence Stephenson, chair of the AoMRC, said: “As health professionals, we see it across all our disciplines – from the GP’s surgery to the operating table and everything in between. So it is no exaggeration to say that it is the biggest public health crisis facing the UK today. Yet too often, vested interests dub it too complex to tackle.
“It’s now time to stop making excuses and instead begin forging alliances, trying new innovations to see what works and acting quickly to tackle obesity head on - otherwise the majority of this country’s health budget could be consumed by an entirely avoidable condition.
“Today’s report marks the start of a campaign. We’ll be working with a range of expert individuals and organisations to take each of these recommendations forward. The healthcare profession has taken the step of uniting to take action – and we’re calling on others to step up and take responsibility too”.
Royal College of Physicians academic vice-president, Professor John Wass, said: “Despite the size of Britain’s obesity crisis, the delivery of healthcare to patients with an established obesity problem is extremely patchy. A patient may arrive at my hospital with coronary heart disease, but if the root cause of their condition is obesity, we must be equipped to deal with that root cause.
“The RCP wants to see a lead physician for obesity in every hospital trust, multidisciplinary teams available to cover severe and complex obesity throughout the UK, and the creation of a new government role to coordinate the work of departments that could have an impact on obesity.”
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