BHF comment
New report reveals benefits of tackling childhood obesity
A new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank has highlighted the significant benefits associated with taking a broad, ‘whole society’ approach to reducing childhood obesity.
New modelled estimates in The Whole Society Approach: Making a Giant Leap in Childhood Health published today highlight that if the Government achieved its aim of halving childhood obesity by 2030, it could save the NHS £37 billion and would result in savings of £202 billion to wider society over the lifetimes of the current generation of children in England. These savings would come from reduced hospital admissions, improved productivity and increased workforce participation.
The IPPR’s report also urges the Government to consider setting even more ambitious targets. The report suggests that if four decades of rising obesity rates were reversed back to 1980s levels, the NHS would save £66 billion, and wider society would save £359 billion over the course of this generation of children’s lifetimes in England.
The report says that a ‘whole society’ approach to reducing childhood obesity must be embraced, describing the Government’s recently announced strategy as ‘a first step, rather than a bold leap forward’. The think tank makes a number of policy recommendations in the report, including the restoration of the public health grant, a 9pm watershed on junk food marketing, and also a subsidy scheme for healthy foods.
We must go further
Chris Thomas, a Senior Health Fellow at IPPR, and one of the authors of the report, said:
“In July, the government made welcome commitments to tackle obesity, but faced with the scale of the obesity epidemic, it was just one small step, not a giant leap. The disastrous impact of obesity on our health and society demands we go further.
“Success could facilitate the kind of major health gains the Victorian’s achieved through sanitation, or childhood immunisation in the 20th century. Failure could mean a century of stalled progress.
“Historically, major progress on health outcomes has come when contributions have come from across society – when business, community, people, government and public bodies have all played their part. We call on government to recreate that approach”
Exercise and willpower alone are not enough
Commenting on the report, Jacob West, our Executive Director of Healthcare Innovation, said:
“This timely and insightful report highlights the major benefits that the whole of society can gain from taking proactive action to address childhood obesity. It serves as a warning that the toll on our health and economy could be immense in the years to come if we fail to adequately address this major public health crisis today.
“Sadly, children with obesity are more likely to become adults with obesity, who are then at increased risk of developing heart and circulatory diseases. More must be done to break this chain of ill health. To do this will require collective action across government, society and the economy – there’s no magic bullet when it comes to reducing obesity rates. Exercise and willpower alone are not enough - children must also grow up in the healthiest possible environment.
“The increased risk of severe illness or death from Covid-19 among people with obesity further underlines the need to take urgent action. The Government’s recent obesity strategy is a good starting point to achieve this, containing the kind of evidence-based measures that could save and improve lives, such as a 9pm watershed on junk food marketing, and mandatory calorie labelling. It’s vital that Government adequately resources and implements the entire range of measures contained in the strategy in full, and as a priority.”