OBESITY STRATEGY ‘IS LONG OVERDUE’
Sir, About a third of children in the UK are overweight or obese. Unless action is taken now, many will grow into overweight or obese adults at higher risk of serious health conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer and poor mental health.
As members of the Obesity Health Alliance, we are extremely disappointed that the government has yet again delayed publishing its childhood obesity strategy. Every day without an effective strategy in place means that opportunities are being missed to protect the health and wellbeing of children and their families. It’s imperative that the government publishes and implements this strategy as a matter of urgency. To be effective it must include: setting targets for manufacturers to make their products healthier; restricting marketing of unhealthy food and drinks to children; and introducing a 20 per cent tax on sugar-sweetened drinks.
Professor John R Ashton, President, UK Faculty of Public Health; Chris Askew, Chief Executive, Diabetes UK; Dr Peter Byrne, Associate Registrar for Public Mental Health, Royal College of Psychiatrists; Alison Cox, Director for Cancer Prevention, Cancer Research UK; Professor Sheila Hollins, Board of Science Chair, British Medical Association; Jane Landon, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Policy, UK Health Forum; Professor Neena Modi, President, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health; John Wass, Special Adviser on Obesity, Royal College of Physicians