Help with the fight this World Obesity Day

Today is World Obesity Day.

World Obesity Day is led by the World Obesity Federation and takes place each year on March 4th.

It is a chance for everybody to come together to call on governments and decisions makers to introduce new policies and programmes to address the environmental, social and commercial issues that lead to obesity.

Obesity is a worldwide problem with 800 million people around the world affected by obesity.

There are many health problems related to obesity, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, and the consequences of treating these related conditions is estimated to cost healthcare systems over $1 trillion by 2025.

It is not just adults affected; childhood obesity is expected to increase by 60% over the next decade with 250 million children living with obesity by 2030.

In the UK, over half the population is living with overweight or obesity, with rates slightly high in men than women.  Some of the biggest drivers for obesity in the UK have been identified as:

• insufficient physical activity
• high consumption of sugar, fizzy drinks and confectionery
• less than daily recommended fruit, vegetable and wholegrain consumption
• mental health illness

The Mission of World Obesity Day

The mission of World Obesity Day is 4-fold.

1. Increase awareness – obesity is disease, and we need to raise awareness of it underlying causes and the actions needed to tackle them.
2. Encourage Advocacy – change the way obesity is thought of across society encouraging people to become advocates, standing up and calling           for change.
3. Improve Policies – Creating a healthy environment that prioritises obesity as a health issue, working to change policy to build the right support systems for the future.
4. Sharing Experiences – creating platforms to share experiences, inspiring and uniting a global community to work towards our common goal.

The Declaration of the Global Obesity Forum

The Global Obesity Forum is calling upon government leaders and policymakers to urgently address the issue of obesity. The forum is made up of the World Obesity Federation and several other organisations and experts working within the field of obesity. In a declaration to the government, they have out a plan for immediate action.

They define obesity as ‘a chronic, relapsing, progressive disease resulting from complex interactions between biological and psychosocial factors in obesogenic environments.’

Their plan is to encourage the government and policymakers to adopt ‘The ROOTS Framework’, which sets out a comprehensive and person-centred approach to dealing obesity.

• Recognise that obesity it as disease in its own right as well as a risk factor for other conditions

• Obesity monitoring of the population and policy is required.

• Obesity prevention strategies must be developed, tested and implemented.

• Treatment of obesity should be accessible to all.

• Systems based approach should be applied looking at healthcare, the food industry, the transport sector and education.

One of the positive outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic is it has shown that a societal and worldwide response to a disease is possible.

It also demonstrated that is it vital to address other global health problems such as obesity with clear evidence on the association between COVID-19 mortality and obesity.

They believe that currently obesity is a disease that does not receive sufficient prioritisation based on its level of prevalence and its health impact. We know that obesity can lead to other weight-related diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and mental-health illness.

They believe and are advocating for a window of opportunity to for funding and implementing actions in all countries to ensure better, more resilient and sustainable health for all, now and in our post-COVID-19 future to ‘build back better’ from COVID-19, to improve the health of people and planet.

World Obesity. The Facts & Figures:

You can help the World Obesity Federation in the fight against obesity and obesity-related conditions, by looking after your health and the health of those you love.

If you are worried that you are overweight or obese, then let The Slimming Clinic support you in becoming healthier and happier.

We have over 30 years of experience in the field of weight loss and health and our GMC-registered weight loss doctors are all here to support and guide you, without judgement, as you make small, manageable changes to your lifestyle to ensure your future is the healthiest it can be.

Contact us for more information on how our weight loss programmes can help you, just like they have helped thousands before.