Immediate action needed to reverse obesity, say doctors

If Britain is to reduce the health problems for millions of obese Britons, "immediate and concerted action" is needed, an association of leading medical groups has said.

According to the report, ‘Storing Up Problems: The medical case for a slimmer nation', produced jointly by the Royal College of Physicians, the Faculty of Public Health, and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, action is needed "at every possible level" – national, local, community and as individuals, together with an understanding of the social and cultural factors that are behind the progressive increase in overweight and obesity.

The report states that initiatives should be "long-term and sustainable", with the emphasis on environment, empowerment and encouragement – dropping the blame culture, engaging the whole community and assisting all groups to take action according to their own opportunities and responsibilities, including health professionals themselves.

In 2002, more than half of the UK population was either overweight or obese, with 70% of men, and 63% of women medically overweight. The National Audit Office has estimated that overweight and obesity costs the NHS at least £0.5 billion a year, and £2 billion to the wider economy.

Obesity in 2 to 4-year-old children almost doubled from 5%-9% from 1989-1998, and in 6 to 15-year-olds trebled from 5-16% between 1990-2001. Overweight young people have a 50% chance of being overweight adults, and children of overweight parents have twice the risk of being overweight compared to those with healthy weight parents, the report found.

It also claims that if current trends continue, "conservative estimates" are that at least one-third of adults, one-fifth of boys and one-third of girls will be obese by 2020.

Being overweight restricts body activity, damages health and shortens life; and it harms self-esteem and social life. Heart disease, stroke, joint problems and the commonest form of diabetes are direct effects of obesity and overweight. People of every age, every region and from all population groups are affected, and the report's recommendations apply to all age groups from childhood to old age, and specifically include people at high risk.

Professor Sian Griffiths, President of the Faculty of Public Health, said: "The UK has the lowest physical activity for school children in Europe , and the problem is worst in the most vulnerable groups - who are also the most socially deprived. The solution requires partnerships at all levels - across government, who can regulate and create health policies, within communities where engagement in healthier environments (such as schools, workplaces) can encourage individuals in making healthier choices.

"Obesity is a serious threat to our well-being and we need to get the health balance right, not only through taking individual responsibility but through measures which make it easier to make healthier choices about how we live.”

Professor Alan Craft, President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, added: “Obesity is a major issue for children as well as adults. We must find ways of tackling it in childhood if we are to prevent the major complications in adult life. Prevention is everyone's business.”

(gmcg)