In response to the 'why are the Brits so overweight' thread - what can govts do to reduce this?

[LaurieFairyCake]

apart from bariatric surgery.

1. make swimming free everywhere - it's £3.20 for child swimming here, £4.50 for adults

1. No 'deals' on sugary stuff 3 for2 etc - get supermarkets on board - not sure about this being possible as there's so much available everywhere

1. Proper lunch hours so people can eat

1. tackle long hours culture/transport/housing issues - Huuuuuuge problems but I want the moon on a stick

just to get started

Decent cycle lanes?

Get over feeding your child to the point of obesity on crap seen as child abuse.

Get decent gyms with crèche facilities

Make crap food more expensive- ie frozen pizza etc

More pe at school with a sport scholarship similar to the USA

Speaking as someone who has in the past been very overweight and still yo-yoing, I don't see it as something that the govt is responsible for.

In spite of weekly nagging by practise nurse I still over-ate and didn't excercise, I knew it wasn't a healthy way to live, I hated my weight, I hated the limited clothing options etc etc.

Only I could make the change, and it took a real humiliating low point to get me to change

Not really sure anything the gov can do, but ideas:

a) tax junk food and use proceeds to subsidise fruit and vegetables
b) adverts on tv along lines of if you waist measurement is bigger than x then you at risk of diabetes (thinking of the stopping smoking adverts)
c) free slimming clubs for those on below average income like ww/sw
d) and most importantly the gov should change its dietary advice, eg eat well plate, far too much carbs, no need to eat any white ones.....
e) Legislate against chocolate machines in the workplace unless all profits used to pay for free fruit for employees. Or require all companies to give each employee 2 pieces of fruit a day.

In response to other peoples ideas:

1. swimming huge cost to subsidise for limited benefits, change of diet much more important than exercise and walking / running just as good plus cheaper than swimming. Also would be used by millions who didn't actually need it
2. 3 for 2 deals on sugary stuff - perhaps but maybe a tax on it would be more effective
3. Lunch hour - I lost 4 stone without taking a lunch breakfast, had tuna salad and yoghurt at my desk.
4. Long hours culture - see e) above
5. Agree gov can't go anything to an individual but they can try and change perceptions of what is overweight.
6. Gyms with creche facilities - yes agree all gyms should have creches.
7. Scholarship idea - would benefit too few people to make a difference, a better idea might be to require all state schools to provide 2 free after school or before school slots per child consisting of some type of exercise.

In Scotland they need to change the dietary targets, eg

-eat 2 portions of cereal a day
-eat more bread

Should read

• eat more lean protein and less carbohydrate.

Ensure all children leave school beig able to cook basic meals - stir frys, lean slag Bol, healthy chicken curry etc etc rather than food technology.
Less designing food products, looking at labels, writing design specs blah blah. Teach them to cook ffs!

I think we've reached a tipping point where there are so many fat people that being fat has become the norm, social pressure to stay slim is lacking, and we live in an 'obesogenic' culture.
It's a very tricky issue I think.
Smoking has been reduced (afaik) by making smokers feel (to an extent) ostracised, I dont think it would be reasonable or effective to take the same approach with people who are overweight.

I cant really see a way out of it, except possibly drugs to control insulin resistance and appetite?

there is social pressure I agree, but clearly the pressure is not great enough, or of the right kind to influence behaviour such that there is a reduction in obesity.

If anything the social pressure creates a feedback loop which amplifies rather than corrects the behaviour that results in obesity.
What I mean is that the treatment of people who are overweight leads to negative self esteem, 'comfort eating' and unwillingness to exercise in public.

I dont think its up to the government. Parents and individuals need to make sensible decisions. Everyone knows that a banana is more nutricious than a chocolate bar.

I dont agree. Tobacco cant advertise and people still smoke.
However in terms of what they could do;
tax fast food outlets
tax supposed fat rich foods - would that mean chocolate etc etc etc
further tax on alcohol - its fattening
more education around food pyramid etc