British doctors tackle the obesity epidemic

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDApr 16 2012

According to the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges the approach of using voluntary agreements with industry is “failing to have a significant impact” on obesity. Obesity, says the organization is a “huge crisis waiting to happen”.

Professor Terence Stephenson, vice-president of the organization, said Health Secretary Andrew Lansley and the Government’s trusting industry to cut calories and advise people on healthy eating was “inherently flawed”. “Bold and tough” action - including new regulation - was needed to stop the obesity epidemic, he said.

The academy is beginning a six-month project to look at the causes and effects of obesity, and will publish a report in the autumn recommending action to be taken. It says that nearly a a quarter of British adults are now obese, a figure that is due to rise to 48 per cent in men and 43 per cent in women by 2030 if recent trends continue.

Among other demands the Academy is seeking to ban companies like Coca-Cola and McDonalds from on sponsoring major sporting events like the Olympics. It wants fast food shops to be banned near schools; firms to be stopped from using celebrities or cartoon characters from promoting unhealthy foods; and manufacturers to be made to publish clear guidelines on salt, sugar, fat and calorie consumption on their products. They are also calling for and consideration of “fat taxes” similar to those being implemented in Scandinavia, designed to penalize the buyers of food and drink high in salt, sugar and fat.

Prof Stephenson said, “Our starting point is the collective desire to ensure the healthcare profession is doing all it can to detect, treat, manage - and ultimately prevent - obesity. It is unprecedented that the medical royal colleges and faculties have come together on such a high-profile public health issue. But we've done so because we recognize the huge crisis waiting to happen and believe that current strategies to reduce obesity are failing to have a significant impact.”

The Royal Medical Colleges and Faculties represent some 200,000 doctors across all specialities, from GPs to paediatricians and surgeons to psychiatrists. They have described their campaign as an “unprecedented” union - as part of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC) - on an issue of public health.

Prof Sir Neil Douglas, chair of the Academy of Royal Medical Colleges, said, “This won't be just another report that sits on the shelf and gathers dust. It will form the bedrock of our ongoing campaigning activity. We are absolutely determined to push for whatever changes need to happen to make real progress in tackling obesity - which is why we're casting the net wide to get input from a range of organisations and individuals.”

A spokesman for the Food and Drink Federation said firms had “a good track record of making positive contributions to improving public health”, such as by making healthy option foods and educating customers.

The Department of Health said it welcomed the colleges' “emphasis on obesity as this is one of our key public health priorities,” and highlighted the change4life campaign to encourage healthier living, and the “responsibility pledge” by some food and drink companies to improve public health. A spokesman added, “We are committed to identifying the best possible evidence of what works in tackling obesity which everyone across the country has a role to play in and we look forward to seeing the evidence of the Royal Colleges inquiry.”