obesity assignment

An overview of social policies in the UK for obesity

In recent years the emphasis on obesity as a health crisis has become more apparent than ever. Obesity can be defined as, ‘… a condition in which weight gain has reached the point of seriously endangering health,’ (National Audit Office, 2001, pg.7) Obesity is calculated using BMI, (body mass index) which takes into account the height and weight of the individual.The issue causes concern for the health sector as it leads to illnesses such as cardio vascular disease and type 2 diabetes resulting in a further strain on hospitals.
Globally in 2005, there was said to be an estimated 1.6 million overweight adults and a further 400 million that were obese (World Health Organisation, 2005). If data from the UK is isolated the statistics are alarming. In 1980, 40% of the population were overweight, and less than 10% were obese. Currently, 66% are overweight and more than 20% are obese (Wilkinson and Pickett 2010). According to Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives It is predicted that by 2050 60% of the population will be obese (Department of Health, 2008). Although figures are clearly rising it is also important to note that obesity is socially constructed. Not to say that obesity isn’t a problem but the idea that the classification of being clinically obese is constantly being redefined, and therefore has been altered over the years meaning that more people now fit into the category.
In 2008, Gordon Brown introduced a policy to tackle the obesity crisis, known as ‘Healthy weight, healthy lives.’ Over 20 years the aim is to reduce obesity by 2000 levels. In order to do so he proposed to increase access and opportunities to enable people to make healthy choices. An issue raised with this policy is that help is often needed to make the right choices, for example finding out the reasons behind one’s obesity can result in a better understanding of how to lose the weight. Weight loss is very dependent on the individuals’ confidence, so it is possible that more emphasis is needed on the individual rather than just ‘obese people’ as a whole.
Despite this, the two years on report (2010) states that the rise in the numbers of obese children has started to level off.
Alongside this campaign the Department of Health introduced ‘Change4life,’ in November 2008. This consists of a three year campaign aimed to encourage healthy eating and exercise. Their first advertisement was launched in January 2009 involving cartoon characters demonstrating changes in eating habits. This could be beneficial as it highlights all the main concerns with eating unhealthily, such as fat build up which could lead to heart disease, diabetes and other severe illnesses. By involving cartoons it is likely to draw in children through its entertaining visuals and should increase understanding as it presents the information in a simple way. According to the National Audit Office (2001) the number of obese people in the population increases as you go up the age catagories, therefore this policy seems appropriate as it attempts to decrease the number of children becoming obese, thus lowering figures as they move through the generations.
However, a major criticism highlighted by ‘The Lancet’ (2009) is that the advert is far too simple and argues that it is hypocritical as the campaigns’ sponsors involve Pepsi, a product which the advert is ultimately trying to defer people away from.
Depending on how the problem is perceived determines the policy that is enforced. The government clearly sees obesity as a behavioral issue, as appose to biological or as a result of discrimination. However, Wilkinson and Pickett (2010) state that the rise in obesity is due to a rise in social inequality. If this is in fact the cause, a policy that aims to increase opportunities for those in lower classes may be more effective than trying to simply encourage healthy eating.
Non governmental policies have also been put in place to tackle the crisis, for example the ‘New Obesity Campaign UK,’ introduced in May 2010. Their aims include motivating and educating people on how they can lose weight, by improving their relationship with food. To become involved, individuals register online to receive tips and motivation. A crucial part of the policy is attending the weight loss seminars, held by a nutrition counselor. Their current advertisement uses an interview with 2005’s Miss Universe, Natalie Glebova.
Despite the positive messages being sent out by the campaigns’ featured interview it fails to incorporate a realistic representative for the obese population. They are unlikely to relate to ‘Miss Universe,’ a slim woman who doesn’t have the pressure of needing to lose weight. It may be more appropriate to feature a previously obese individual who has succeeded in slimming down. However there is a section on the campaigns website which contains success stories of those who have followed the policy.
In addition, a problem with weight loss programs is that it is common for people to put back on a proportion of the weight originally lost. (Borg et al, 2002)
The non government policy again sees obesity as a behavioural issue but goes a step further by enabling one on one advice which is likely to be more effective as programs can be altered depending on the individual requirements as appose to the more broad government policies. However, it does not have the same power or authority that the government policies have.
Despite the criticisms of the featured policies, both of them working in unison could prove to be effective, as the governments focus should reduce the number of children becoming obese and the non government policy targets those who are already obese and aims to help them reach a healthier weight.
In conclusion, the Government policies appear to be making progress however any significant changes won’t be clear until future years. Generally we can say that the success of obese individuals losing weight is reliant on their confidence and willingness to lose weight. Without this policies are going to have little effect. The psychological reasons behind a person’s obesity is likely to be key to solving the problem. This view is supported by Dovey (2009, p.35) who said the obese need ‘individual tailored interventions.’ We can also question to what degree the targets of such policies can be met when we are still living in an obesogenic environment. The mindset and outlooks of the UK’s population need to change for the crisis to be fully overcome.

References

Biddle, S., 2009. Obesity is physical activity they key? The psychologist, 22(1), 32-33

Borg, P., Kukkonen-Harjula, K., Fogelholm, M. & Pasanen, M., 2002. Effects of walking or resistance training on weight loss maintenance in obese, middle- aged men: A randomized trial. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 26, 676-683.

Dovey, T., 2001. Obesity- Is Physical activity the key? The psychologist, 22(1), pp.32-35.

Gupta, S., 2010. The new Obesity Campaign UK. [online] Available at: www.obesitycampaign.co.uk [Accessed 8 November 2010]

Halliday, J. 2009. Criticism for food firm sponsors of anti-obesity campaign. Food and drink Europe. [online] Available at: November 10, 2010, http://www.foodanddrinkeurope.com/Products-Marketing/Criticism-for-food-firm-sponsors-of-anti-obesity-campaign. [Accessed 10 November 2010].

The Department of Health, 2008. Healthy weight, healthy lives; a cross governmental strategy for England. [online] Available at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_084024.pdf [Accessed 1 November 2010]

The Department of Health, 2008. Change4life. [online]. Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/change4life/Pages/change-for-life.aspx [Accessed 7 November]

National Audit Office, 2001. Tackling obesity in England. [online] Available at: http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/0001/tackling_obesity_in_england.aspx [Accessed 5 November]

Wilkinson, R. Pickett, K., 2010. The Spirit Level. 2ND ed. London: Penguin Group.

World Health Organisiation, 2005. Obesity and Overweight.[online]. Available at: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/index.html [Accessed 7 November]

References: Biddle, S., 2009. Obesity is physical activity they key? The psychologist, 22(1), 32-33 Borg, P., Kukkonen-Harjula, K., Fogelholm, M Dovey, T., 2001. Obesity- Is Physical activity the key? The psychologist, 22(1), pp.32-35. Gupta, S., 2010. The new Obesity Campaign UK. [online] Available at: www.obesitycampaign.co.uk [Accessed 8 November 2010] Halliday, J The Department of Health, 2008. Healthy weight, healthy lives; a cross governmental strategy for England. [online] Available at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_084024.pdf [Accessed 1 November 2010] The Department of Health, 2008. Change4life. [online]. Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/change4life/Pages/change-for-life.aspx [Accessed 7 November] National Audit Office, 2001. Tackling obesity in England. [online] Available at: http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/0001/tackling_obesity_in_england.aspx [Accessed 5 November] Wilkinson, R. Pickett, K., 2010. The Spirit Level. 2ND ed. London: Penguin Group. World Health Organisiation, 2005. Obesity and Overweight.[online]. Available at: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/index.html [Accessed 7 November]