Should obesity be treated as a medical disease or a lifestyle-related condition?
Dr Chris Beedie Senior lecturer, Aberystwyth University, UK
“Classifying obesity as a disease could lead to more resources and push it up the agenda for policy makers. However, the cons far
outweigh the pros. This deci- sion arguably refl ects a trend towards the medicalisation of life. It’s not a disease: many people diagnosed as obese are actually healthy. Worryingly, this reclas-
sifi cation throws the weight of responsibility onto the medi- cal sector, potentially taking it away from individuals, parents, educators – including physical educators – and social policy makers. It puts the emphasis on treatment, not prevention, inevitably leading to expensive medical interventions to tackle what is a societal problem. Humans are programmed to eat as much as we can and to move as little as
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Tam Fry Honorary chair, Child Growth Foundation
possible. With technology and highly calorifi c food, current lifestyles are the perfect storm for obesity. This is what needs addressing. I doubt this reclassifi cation will mean a boost for the wellness, spa and fi tness sector. It could mean the opposite, with treatment – not prevention – becoming the emphasis and medicine taking de facto responsibility for that treatment. The sec- tors have to better evidence their effectiveness in obesity prevention and management to compete with medicine in this context.”
“Obesity should be classifi ed as a disease – a condition to be treated and not simply dismissed by the medical profession as a problem for parents or individuals. Unrecognised, obesity may quickly trigger more serious conditions which are more costly to treat.
Should the UK follow the lead of the US and classify obesity as a disease, I would hope that more funds would be triggered for preventive measures, especially in primary care, which is cur- rently woefully underfunded. In my opinion, any
further funding should not be directed into the wellness and fi tness industry, which is a sophisticated business sector that can look after itself. The fi tness industry, in particular, suggests to people that it will provide a quick fi x to lose
weight. Actually, all people need in order to exercise is a good pair of shoes to go walking. As for kids, they just need space to run around. What’s more, exercise
isn’t the only element that’s needed to stop the develop- ment of obesity – eating good, nutritious food is key too and even before that it’s about coaching people on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This is particularly important very early on in life as it’s been found that the fi rst 1,000 days of a child’s life is crucial in preventing obesity later on.”
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