National movement’ needed to tackle obesity
pharmafile | July 24, 2008 | News story | |Â Â Â
Local communities, businesses, charities and other groups need to come together in a 'national movement' in order to tackle the problem of obesity in the UK.
This is the call from the health secretary Alan Johnson, who is launching a new initiative to bring together interest groups up and down the country to take action against obesity, which the government says is the UK's biggest health problem.
The government wants to address many aspects of daily life and society which help fuel the growing obesity crisis, and admits it needs as many people as possible to engage in the process if it is to succeed.
"We are calling on everyone – from the smallest community keep fit class to the biggest retailers in the land – to join in this campaign to change the way we live our lives," says Johnson.
A comprehensive review of current trends in obesity called The Foresight report concluded last year that overweight or obese cost the economy £7 billion in treatment, benefits, loss of earnings and reduced productivity.
It predicted that if nothing was done, costs would escalate to £50 billion by 2050 – nearly half the NHS's current annual budget.
Alan Johnson has held meetings with leaders from major health charities, retailers, the health profession and community action groups to look at how best to create a national campaign to help change lifestyles.
Around 220,000 activists already doing work in their local areas have been identified and are being asked to help influence and lead the movement.
Launching the new initiative, Johnson said: "This national movement for change will enable every citizen in the country at every stage of their lives to get the encouragement and support they need to be healthy – from what they see on the television, to what they buy in the local supermarket, to the resources at their disposal in the local community, to how they travel to and from work or school, to the information and advice they get from health professionals."
Measures to tackle obesity were also contained in the Lord Darzi's recent Next Stage Review of the NHS, which focused on greater emphasis on quality of care and on prevention and promoting good health.
The government's overall strategy for tackling obesity 'Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives' was published earlier this year. It came with a £75 million budget to communicate the seriousness of the issue to those at-risk, and aims to help them improve their diet and increase their everyday activity levels.
The health secretary is also looking for ways to engage the most at-risk groups without being accused of creating a 'nanny state', or simply sending out messages that will alienate or be easy to ignore.
"Research shows us that vilifying the extremely fat doesn't make people change their behaviour," said Johnson.
"Commentators who point and shout at pictures of the morbidly obese simply fuel the problem. Those whose seriously unhealthy lifestyles are not advertised by their waist lines will simply say: 'Well that's not me. I don't need to change what I do.'
"But if you present the message more intelligently – if you explain to parents that many children, regardless of their size, have dangerous levels of fat in their arteries or around their organs, and this may reduce their life expectancy by up to 11 years – then people respond."
