AIBU to think poor health in later life is a UK problem?

" If some people can order up a takeaway delivery and settle down in front of the TV or phone with a couple of cans as well they will do that in preference to getting up to make a healthy meal "

Why can't we order a healthy meal by takeaway then?
Why can't we promote and subsidise healthy food, including ready made ones? I'm sure there are ways.

In London you can get healthy-ish fast food in places like Pret. In smaller, poorer towns, it's all Greggs. I know that's because of demand, but policies can help that kind of thing.

Yes, some of us are never going to back to shopping in five different shops for different types of ingredients and cooking from scratch every day. Let's work with that to have healthier options.

No, but we're comparing countries to each other. I live in a northern European country with pretty high consumption of UPFs and a not particularly healthy food culture (not UK) and countries that I considered healthier, with better food culture have higher levels of obesity according to you so I'm curious to know why.
It's not a world wide problem to the same extent everywhere.
They don't have an obesity problem in Japan, do they?

Because it’s a worldwide problem. I don’t know why the surprise- surely people don’t think it’s just a UK/ US problem?

You can develop all sorts of policies, but those who won't exercise, cook or eat healthily will not benefit. There is enough information in the public domain. If some people can order up a takeaway delivery and settle down in front of the TV or phone with a couple of cans as well they will do that in preference to getting up to make a healthy meal or do any sort of exercise.

Why is that then? Although I know that not everyone in the Mediterranean eats the traditional Mediterranean diet, their diet does seem to be better than that of northern Europe - they can grow some things more easily with their more months of sunlight and they have olives. I'm really surprised.

Malta, I can imagine because I don't think they can grow that much there and their young people are also quite big, but as I said, many of the young Italians I've met have been thin as rakes.

The statistics show the high obesity levels in these countries

Not true. We have elections coming up in Scotland and Wales now and local ones in some parts of England. People can put pressure on candidates to develop policies to improve people's health.

"walking groups pretty much on it's last legs"

Sorry, but that made me laugh.

" that just reiterates the Mediterranean / southern Europe obesity also experienced by Greece Italy and Spain"

I haven't seen that in Italy and Spain. Yes, you do see a big difference between the young and old and there's a tradition of women ballooning once married with children, but the young people seem very thin compared to more northern countries in Europe.

But the conclusions of the report say that change at government level need to be enacted to help and enable more widespread change by individuals.

We can give our opinions here, but it won't do anything to change the situation. It's out there in black and white and on TV and radio how to age better. You can't change people, you can only change yourself.

I agree @circusrunaways- on a thread about reduced health outcomes, for someone to suggest that you stop your DS’s cricket sessions is completely bizarre.

Because he is already on the team & really enjoys it?

Im really confused by your point @marsbarslice are you saying I should stop any sport or music classes my dc love so that I could do what I want? I think that’s a weird take plus I can’t leave them alone so would still need either childcare or something we can do together.

Surely the poster knows her own son and his preferences better than you?

I would hope so @WildGarden

I never did organised activities - my parents just never presented them as an option lol.

How old are you @marsbarslice? I did loads of dancing as a dc/teen. I loved it, my mum whacking on a tape and doing it with me in the kitchen just wouldn't have been the same!

@frozendaisy Thanks, I’m baffled that team sports for my dc is a bad thing!

That like apprenticeships seem to be very area dependent despite what MN often seems to think - I have looked on-line and in RL.

I was trying to get a language course - you get pointed to apps and sometime on-line classes.

I also wasn't saying it's the only way to meet people - but many groups here closed post covid - IL walking groups pretty much on it's last legs due to coach costs. It's just a general decline in meeting oppotunties - like the pub closures in IL area - and I'm not anti tech it helps us keep in better touch with kids at uni for example.

Also post covid with cost of living crisis disposal income dropped and food and going out were easiest areas for us to cut - can't image that we are not alone in that.

The GP I heard on radio 4 a did point to loneliness which I image is affected by many things - one thing they daid they were doing was pointing people to support groups to counter this.

TBH it's poverty causing the disparity it leads to poor housing options, less good diets and poorer communities seem to also have weaker social connections.

Even keeping pets with vet bills and food price increases is harder on lower incomes - though again some charties exist to help - but dog walking a common way to interact with wider community of regular basis that therefore harder for poorer people to do.

@PansyPapers I agree about the loss of connection when we are at a time when we are the most most connected but electronically. My neighbour is 100 this year she said these days most get in their cars on their drives so there is no passing in the street.

I just looked screen time is averaging 7 hours a day for adults in the UK, including TV.

Also the cries of the uk must be the most obese county ever just screams of self hating self obsessed Brits. Why would they be the most obese country?!? We don’t lead in anything, even obesity 😂

Greece has always been the most obese country in Europe.

i think people think obese is some enormous spilling out over the mobility scooter getting craned out of their house scenario. Obese is a calculation and it’s very common
particularly later in life to tip into it.

think about the Italian nona, stout after a life of pasta- likely obese. The stout Greek retired fisherman- likely obese.

at 70, my dad is obese. Works full time in a physical job and cycles 30 miles a day to work.

sorry eta- Malta may well be ahead of Greece obesity rates (I’m not sure, it’s such a small place) but that just reiterates the Mediterranean / southern Europe obesity also experienced by Greece Italy and Spain

And here the BBC reporting on the UK having the highest obesity rate in western Europe, but I can't see a date for the article.
Why are Brits the fattest in Western Europe? - BBC Food

From Wikipedia
"With 26% - meaning one out of four adults - being obese, Malta is far ahead on the obesity scale, comparable to other EU countries.[3]"

Unfortunately, the footnote only goes to the Eurostat website and not to the exact figures, but this shows there was a time when Malta was top of the bill.

Within the EU+UK I mean. Obviously not beating US and Mexico etc.

Thats never been the case.

I'm surprised. The stats I've seen (that may be out of date now) showed only Malta as having worse obesity/overweight than the UK.

Yes, Asako Yuzuki's Butter has become a new favourite book of mine,,and it does satirise the pressure on Japanese women (but not men as much ) to stay thin well. I did however wonder if it went too far the other way and overlooked the point of health, though, without spoilers, I thought by the end of the novel the author seemed to suggest a healthier middle way.

According to Worldostats that looks at WHO and national health data the U.S. obesity rate is significantly higher at 42 %, UK is 28.7% Ireland is also higher than the UK at 30.8% Greece, Czech Republic, Hungry, Poland, Croatia, Australia all higher obesity rates.

Interesting map. Particularly how Portugal is showing as I can remember reading something a few years back on how health trends were changing there with youngsters eating a lot more fast food. When holidaying near Porto we observed a lot of very overweight children.