NEWS
OBESITY STRATEGY DELAY
Members of the Obesity Health Alliance,
a campaign group which formed
last November to tackle obesity, has
expressed concern about the increased
risks to children's health caused by the
delay of the Government's Childhood
Obesity Strategy.
The Government's strategy has
already been delayed for months but the
Department of Health has confirmed that
it will not be published until the summer,
after the European referendum. With
almost two thirds of adults and almost
a third of children in the UK overweight
or obese, members of the Alliance
have warned that every day without an
effective strategy in place means that the
obesity time bomb is ticking, and that
opportunities are being missed to protect
the health and wellbeing of children and
their families.
The Obesity Health Alliance has set
out three key actions that it wants the
Government to implement in its Childhood
Obesity Strategy so that it is easier for
people to make healthier choices and live
healthier lives. This includes targets for
food manufacturers to reduce the amount
This issue we have some extended news pages and reports.
of saturated fat, salt and added sugar in
their foods, meaningful restrictions to
reduce children's exposure to unhealthy
food and drink marketing, and a 20% tax
on sugar sweetened beverages.
Chris Askew, Diabetes UK Chief
Executive, said: "Every day that goes
by without tough new measures to
deal with the obesity crisis means that
more children are going to be at risk of
developing serious, and preventable,
health conditions in later life such as
Type 2 diabetes. Without action we will
continue to see high rates of devastating
health conditions and increased costs to
our already stretched health service."
Professor John Wass, the Royal
College of Physicians' Special Adviser on
Obesity, adds, 'The delay in publishing the
strategy is extremely disappointing, and a
hugely missed opportunity to save lives,
improve patient care and save NHS funds.'
The Obesity Health Alliance (OHA) is a
new coalition of 28 national organisations
which have come together to represent
the unified voice of the public health
sector on issues relating to overweight
and obesity in the UK.
TEA PARTY TIME
On or around Friday 22 April, people
around the country are being asked to
hold a tea party at work or at home, to
cause a stir and raise awareness of Type
1 diabetes. Ask your friends, family or
colleagues for a donation for each cup
of tea Go to the following link to find
out more and sign up, then you'll get a
link to download the fundraising pack,
posters, invitations and bunting to help
you promote your Type 1 Tea Party.
www.jdrf.org.uk/tea
Tea is
always
a good
ide a