SECOND OPINION
timated cost to the NHS of obesity-related conditions is £4.2bn every year.2
Public
health, and therefore the issue of obesity, is not just a health imperative but an eco- nomic imperative. This is particularly im- portant against the backdrop of the UK’s yawning budget deficit and the current economic climate.
Successful public health interventions can help to improve the health of the nation at large - good for both individual and societal wellbeing. If people are healthier and fitter, they are less likely to lose their jobs through ill health and more likely to be able to enter the workplace if out of work. They are also more likely to deliver greater productivity
In summary, we have highlighted the im- portance of empowering local government, of educating the population and healthcare professionals, and of incentivising GPs if we are to buck the trend and ultimately win the fight against obesity.
However, the problem cannot be solved by Government intervention alone and will ul- timately need individuals to take more per- sonal responsibility if society is to turn the tide. “Nannying” will not work and has not worked. The key is to nudge and to educate, to improve people’s awareness, and the decisions and actions they take as a direct consequence. Those on the far right-wing tend to argue “do nothing”, as anything
such it logically follows that it would make sense to urgently prioritise the tackling of childhood obesity. This will be particularly important given that evidence suggests obese children are likely to go on to become obese adults, and the associated escalation in obesity related health problems with age.
In the end, obesity is neither attractive from a health point of view nor affordable from an economic standpoint. Tackling it not only constitutes good health, but also good business.
References
1 Rennie KL and Jebb SA. (2005). Prevalence of obesity in Great Britain. Obesity Reviews. 6: 11-12. 2 ‘Healthy Lives, Healthy People: Our Strategy for Public Health in England’. (2010). Department of Health. 3 Allender S and Rayner M. (2007). The burden of over- weight and obesity related ill health in the UK. Obesity Reviews. 8: 467-473. 4 Musingarimi P. (2009). Obesity in the UK: A review and comparative analysis of policies within the devolved ad- ministrations. Health Policy. 91: 10-16. 5 Cummins S and Macintyre S. (2006). Food Environ- ments and Obesity: Neighbourhood or Nation? Interna- tional Journal of Epidemiology, 35:100–104. 6 Implementing NICE public health guidance for the workplace: a national organisational audit of NHS trusts in England. (2011). Royal College of Physicians and Fac- ulty of Occupational Medicine.
This article has been prepared by the Health and Education Policy Committee at the Bow Group, a think tank in the UK. Thomas Kelley is an academic foundation doctor in the Oxford University Clinical Academic Graduate School and member of the Health & Education Policy Committee. Stuart Carroll is a senior health economist and chairman of the Health & Education Policy Committee. Gary Jones is a public affairs consultant and editor of the Bow Group’s Crossbow magazine; he is also a member of the Health & Education Policy Committee. David Haslam is a GP and chairman of the National Obesity Forum.
in the workplace. All of this is good for the economy and for business, particularly in the current economic climate and given that the UK needs to maximise “injections” rather than “withdrawals”.
This has recently been highlighted by the Employment and Learning Minister in Northern Ireland, who explained that achieving a healthy workforce is essential to achieve higher business growth, better productivity and international competi- tiveness. He also stated that obesity costs the Northern Ireland economy approxi- mately £500m each year and that it causes the loss of approximately 260,000 working days. It is this value-based argument that Andrew Lansley must continue to make to his Treasury colleagues to ensure public health, and tackling obesity, are given ap- propriate financial backing.
other is an apparent erosion of personal freedom. Those on the far left-wing argue for full-scale intervention, claiming that people are incapable of making proper de- cisions. The truth is that neither perspec- tive is particularly helpful or insightful, and does very little to advance a genuinely im- portant public health challenge.
Andrew Lansley is right to focus the front- line obesity drive away from a Government campaign to more of a social movement, utilising and maximising the important contributions of charities, local authorities and the commercial sector where possible. It is from this perspective that tackling obe- sity confers an important opportunity for the “Big Society”.
The Government is right to put early inter- vention at the centre of its policies and as
Dr Thomas Kelley
Gary Jones
Stuart Carroll
Prof Dave Haslam FOR MORE INFORMATION
Visit
www.bowgroup.org www.nationalobesityforum.org.uk
national health executive Sep/Oct 11 | 19
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