UK parliamentary committee calls obesity plan doomed to fail — The Guardian
The cross-party UK Health and Social Care Committee said the government's promise to reverse the rising obesity trend within 10 years is doomed to fail without a review of the approach and the prime minister's personal leadership. The Guardian reports.
The committee's report said that more than a year after the promise to end the “obesity epidemic” within a decade, the government has not answered basic questions about how progress will be measured and how the cross-departmental plan will work. MPs also see no signs that the ambitious programme declared in the 10-year health plan for England will deliver a substantial result.
Committee proposals
The committee called for the creation of a separate government committee on obesity chaired by the prime minister. In the MPs' view, the plan should include a clear practical definition of the goal for reducing obesity rates, interim performance indicators and a division of responsibility between departments.
MPs also called for the development of a coordinated cross-government plan covering the prevention and treatment of obesity among adults and children, planned actions and sources of funding. They proposed that ministers present this plan to parliament within three months.
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Statistics and the government's position
According to the latest official data, 30% of adults in England live with obesity, while 66% are overweight or obese. Nearly one-third of children are also estimated to be overweight or obese. Rates among adults and children have risen significantly since the 1990s; although this trend has stabilised, there are no signs of a decline.
The committee's chair, Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, said effective policy would involve regulating advertising and promotions of unhealthy food and drinks, simpler product labelling, targets for supermarkets on selling healthier food, and restrictions on fast-food outlets near schools.
The Department of Health and Social Care said it had already restricted advertising of unhealthy food on television before 9pm and online, and banned discount promotions for buying larger quantities of less healthy food and drinks. The department also reported expanding access to weight-management programmes, including weight-loss medicines through the National Health Service for patients with the greatest clinical needs.
