October 13, 2011

expert reaction to Department of Health’s Obesity strategy

The Government set out a new plan to tackle obesity.

Professor Jane Ogden, Professor in Health Psychology and an expert in obesity at the University of Surrey, said:

“The new government proposals to tackle the obesity problem focus on encouraging us to eat less and exercise more and highlight their ‘Responsibility Deal’ as a means to get people to make responsible choices about their lifestyles.

“This is all well and good but ignores how difficult it really is to make such choices in a world that makes eating more so easy and doing exercise so hard.

“Food marketing, fast food outlets, portion sizes and advertising make overeating inevitable and the lack of street lighting, cycle paths and green areas in cities and towns make a sedentary lifestyle the norm. Ideally we would all make responsible choices but in reality, as shown by obesity statistics, but we do not.

“Whilst opting to avoid the thorny issue of a nanny state the government is passively watching on as we get fatter and fatter and the health of the nation declines. It is only by engaging with the food industry, town planning and taxation that we will see people become able to make those responsible choices they so desire.

“Obesity surgery works by imposing control on people from the inside. The government needs to start imposing control from the outside if we are to stop the obesity epidemic.”

Announcement available here.