NHS costs attributable to overweight and obesity are projected to reach £9.7 billion by 2050

[hellymissy]

So many posters keep banging on about people not wearing masks, spreading the virus and overwhelming the nhs, people breaking rules etc which is obviously an issue - but we also need to focus on some bigger issues around the long and short term sustainability of the NHS a d consider ways to fix them.

Extracts from government website shows that;

“UK and international evidence suggests that being severely overweight puts people at greater risk of hospitalisation, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission and death from COVID-19, with risk growing substantially as body mass index (BMI) increases.

The current evidence does not suggest that having excess weight increases people’s chances of contracting COVID-19. However, the data does show that obese people are significantly more likely to become seriously ill and be admitted to intensive care with COVID-19 compared to those with a healthy BMI.

The UK-wide NHS costs attributable to overweight and obesity are projected to reach £9.7 billion by 2050, with wider costs to society estimated to reach £49.9 billion per year.”

If anything will cripple the NHS it’s the direct and indirect impact of obesity on ICU units, and long term pressure obesity puts on the NHS.

Seriously, What else can we do to tackle obesity?

**this is NOT a fat shaming thread, purely a thread to redirect some peoples attention towards some of the real issues around COVID

Its surely the lifestyle and attitudes prevalent in Britain. I grew up in The Netherlands and being obese or even overweight just wasn't considered acceptable. People would actually tell others they were too fat, as its considered to be doing them a favour.

Kids ride bikes to school (not all but many) and are generally far more independent.

People spend a lot of time outdoors. There are lots of woods with trails, outside the Randstad especially. The infrastructure is really good and its consistent. None of those silly "cyclists dismount" signs or 3km of cycle path suddenly ending and leaving you stranded.

Where I live in Scotland, there isn't even a pavement to walk on, never mind a cycle path! (there aren't motorways between all the cities either but thats a different issue).

But in Britain its always assumed that obesity is due to poverty, and it needs money to tackle it. Whereas it needs to be simplified - move more, eat less, stop sitting on your backside watching tv eating fast food and takeaways. No special cookbooks needed, nor gym membership, or free fitness classes.

And the planning system is awful in the UK. All these out of town housing estates dumped on the edge of towns and villages with no infrastructure linking them, encouraging people to drive to their nearest retail park.

And this is why there can never be ANY kind of discussion about it and it will just get worse 🤷🏻

I think to make the population healthier there should be better food served in schools/nurseries. I’ve been quite disappointed by what my son has at school considering they have so many rules for what can be sent in from home. I also think there should be stricter laws around the contents of food. Eg I can’t believe they allow energy drinks with the level of caffeine in that they have etc.

I’m not sure a focus on the cost of obesity as such is helpful. I know plenty of people that eat utter shit and nearly exercise but wouldn’t be in the obese category. Similarly I know fairly health people who are larger (although not very large/obese). I mean if we start talking about cost of obesity then doesn’t that lead to cost of People vaping, cost of people who Drink a couple bottle of wine a week etc. I just prefer a perspective of what helps the population be healthier rather than what we going to do about all these obese people.

Interestingly there’s another thread running where someone has comment about her children having been shouted as for running close to someone in a park and for making noise playing in the garden. Maybe making society more adapted to allow ply/exercise for adults and children would be good (eg safe bike lanes etc).

If we seriously want to tackle obesity, we need to do something about the 24x7 advertising of sugar-filled foods. One of the tragedies of the 'low fat' obsession is that fat has been replaced with sugar, thus increasing the number of diabetics.

The 'sugar tax' is a step in the right direction, but is really just paying lip-service to the problem.

It's not 'just assumed'.
The strong links between poverty and obesity are very well known. There has been a lot of research on this, and it's been widely reported on. See the two articles I posted before.

And why are we so obsessed with fat people? Surely people who drink, smoke, and do dangerous sports are just as much a valid target.

I'm hungry.
Off to eat chocolate biscuits.

Out of town housing estate aren’t the problem, not providing decent active travel infrastructure is a problem as then with only high speed rds only driving seems to be a travel option

Jaxhog U.K. has some of the lowest smoking rates in Europe, if not the lowest

@SheepandCow

I'm hungry. Off to eat chocolate biscuits.

You crazy kid

@Jaxhog I agree, I was very worried today to see an advert about hone delivery for McDonald's.

It's not right.

Now it's ok to make these foods even easier to access.

@cherrypavlova
Rarely agree with you but your post is spot on.

@ivykaty44

Jaxhog U.K. has some of the lowest smoking rates in Europe, if not the lowest

Does that include vaping? Or just cigarettes

i did love my trip to the netherlands and liked how civilised it was and the cycle lanes. I believe that obesity /overweight there is low by european standards but you are still looking at half the population being overweight or obese.

A curb on calories per meal in fast food takeaway restaurants would be a good start. It's convenient and easy but the meals are marketed in groups so you get a calorific burger and chips and high fat drinks all included - a shocking total count of calories for one meal. And on top of that they offer even more for just a few pence. And when I last went to a fried chicken place (kids birthday) the only salad was off the menu. I think there should be a calorific limit per kids, and per adults meal. Some people will still gorge on two meals, but most people don't even think about it and just order the convenient option. And there should be a limit to the number of unhealthy shops like that in any one street, too.

@SchrodingersImmigrant

And this is why there can never be ANY kind of discussion about it and it will just get worse 🤷🏻

Why?

Is it not best to talk about the actual practical measures that could be taken to help people? (As opposed to having a good slagging session about 'the fatties' 'not taking personal responsibility').

Have some of my chocolate biscuits.

@SheepandCow If you want to twist and turn this into a fat shaming thread then go ahead but you have completely distorted what is, and will continue to be an adult discussion about obesity.

This is part of the problem if why no one will confront and discuss obesity, because people get overly sensitive about it.

If I started a thread asking how to tackle any other issue, whether it be alcoholism, drug use etc it wouldn't be labelled a drug use shaming thread would it? So how have you managed to turn it?

@SheepandCow you are just being ridiculous.

Anyone normal here actually is discussing what, why and how so take your bisquits and go derail threads elsewhere.

@ivykaty44

Jaxhog U.K. has some of the lowest smoking rates in Europe, if not the lowest

No coincidence we have one of the highest obesity rates.

Derail?
The thread was (apparently) about obesity.
I didn't get the memo that it was, instead, a 'slag fat people off' thread.

I have as much right to comment here as do those who just want to feel morally superior (and be all stick no carrot, and take away all possible enjoyment away from the less fortunate in society).

@AlwaysLatte it's a good odea, but I think lots of small chippies would have issues with it unlike for example maccies who has it brought all pre made.

I do think it would be absolutely doable on ready meals in shops though

Obesity isn't always about deprivation and poverty. Sometimes it is but I know plenty of comfortably off, well educated people, including several who are health care professionals, who are obese.
I just dont believe it's all because of sugary snacks and fast food. It's so very easy to blame things that are external.
Actually I wonder how many obese people do blame external factors or do they actually accept they are responsible for their own weight ?

@SheepandCow

Derail? The thread was (apparently) about obesity. I didn't get the memo that it was, instead, a 'slag fat people off' thread.

I have as much right to comment here as do those who just want to feel morally superior (and be all stick no carrot, and take away all possible enjoyment away from the less fortunate in society).

Would you be able to point out the posts which have fat shamed?

I do mean this genuinely. I’m obviously missing bad intentions on this thread

But in Britain its always assumed that obesity is due to poverty, and it needs money to tackle it.

And this is simply not the case. If I think of the office I work at, they reflect the stats of 63% of the country being overweight or obese and non of them live in poverty.

It's attempt to detract from the real causes and allows people to bury their head by convincing themselves healthy food is too expensive.

It's not - it just takes much longer to prepare and isn't as 'exciting' as eating junk

Although obesity is a problem, I suspect alcohol and drug related illnesses might even be higher. Or smoking.
I believe the government disincentive is huge, taxes generated vs monitoring costs.