DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release issued by COI News Distribution Service. 7 October 2008
PCTs count the
cost of bad diet and exercise
New figures out today show, for the first time, the cost of
obesity to every Primary Care Trust in England.
The figures set out the cost of diseases related to being
overweight or obese in 2007 and how much it will cost at a local
level in 2015 if we take no action.
As last years Foresight report highlighted, nationally the cost
of being overweight or obese cost the NHS £4.2 billion in 2007.
This could rise to £6.3 billion in 2015.
The figures are set out in a new 'Healthy Weight, Healthy
Lives toolkit: A Toolkit for Developing Local Strategies',
which is available to all Primary Care Trusts and Local
Authorities to help them tackle obesity in their areas and help
their citizens live healthier lives.
The toolkit also gives advice on how local health professionals
can support and help people in their areas to eat more healthily
and be more active. It also uses research from the up coming
Change4Life campaign to give insight into why families and parents
find it difficult to live healthy lives.
Insight that the toolkit provides includes:
* parents don't recognise that their children are overweight
- just 11.5 per cent of parents with overweight or obese children
recognise it;
* parents underestimate how much unhealthy food
and convenience food they buy as well as overestimating the amount
of activity their children do;
* only 38 per cent of adults
know that obesity can lead to heart disease and only 6 per cent
know about the link of being overweight to cancer;
* many
families use snacks as rewards, as fillers during times of boredom
and to appease conflict;
* parents of older children are more
worried about not feeding them enough and the risk of eating
disorders such as anorexia; and
* lack of knowledge,
confidence and skills is the main barrier which stops parents
cooking from scratch.
Change4Life is a new national movement which launches this autumn
before a major publicity campaign starts in January. This movement
will help people throughout England to live healthier, more active lives.
Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo said:
"Obesity is the biggest health challenge we face - every
year 9,000 people die prematurely. And many people simply just
don't know that being overweight can lead to major health
problems including heart disease and cancer.
"We are leading the world when it comes to facing up to the
problem and tackling obesity. From this autumn we are aiming to
change the way we all live our lives. The Change4Life campaign
will help us all to change the way we eat, the way we exercise and
the way we raise our children so we can prevent obesity and
related diseases."
The Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson said
"Since I first spoke in my 2002 annual report of
'Obesity: the health time bomb' nothing has changed my
mind about the seriousness of this threat to the country's
future health.
"The link between obesity and preventable illnesses, such as
diabetes, heart disease and cancer is undeniable. In England
almost two-thirds of adults and a third of children are either
overweight or obese; without effective action this could rise to
nine in ten adults and two-thirds of children by 2050.
"I welcome the 'Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives',
toolkit, which will provide Primary Care Trusts and local
authorities with detailed support for the best approaches to
tackling being overweight and obesity in local areas, and together
with the Change4Life national campaign, can help us all live
longer, and healthier lives."
Paul Lincoln, Chief Executive of the National Heart Forum, said:
"The new toolkit will help to focus minds in PCT's and
Local Authorities on effectively preventing and tackling obesities
and continue to ensure that England's response is leading
edge in terms of world wide efforts."
Notes to editors
1. The Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: A toolkit for developing
local strategies can be downloaded from 00:01am on Tuesday 7
October at http://www.dh.gov.uk/obesity
2. Anyone who wants to get involved with Change4Life should
register at http://www.nhs.uk/change4life
3. Healthy Weight, Health Lives: A Cross-Government Strategy for
England can be found at http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_082378