The population seems to be getting fat at an alarming rate. The Beeb reports that since 2003 – that's only three years ago – adult obesity has risen by 38%, according to a Department of Health report due this week. The Government is clearly worried. Fat people cost money.
So they are appointing a minister to sort it out. Not, as you might expect, someone with solid experience of the problem – such as the Fat Controller – but the comely Public Health minister Caroline Flint. One time Parliamentary Private Secretary to John Reid when he was Leader of the House, Flint is MP for Don Valley and enjoys tap dancing with the Division Belles, a troupe of Labour women MPs; not the sort of group that would welcome the Fat Controller as a member. She says that she wants people to build physical activity into their daily routines to create a healthier nation in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics, although I don't think there's any suggestion that this will increase our chance of medals.
We certainly need to take more exercise – and for kids a bit more opportunity for time on the sports field and less time swotting for endless exams would help – but I'm with Conservative MP and former shadow home secretary Ann Widdecombe on this:
"You do have to ask whether the government has a big role to play in this. I think it has a role, but not the decisive role. I don't think this will be solved by government dictat."
Surely the question to ask is: why have people so suddenly started putting on so much weight? According to the charity Weight Concern, 43% of men and 34% of women were overweight in 2002 (body mass index of 25-29.9 kg/m2), while a staggering 22% of men and nearly a quarter of women were obese (a body mass index above 30 kg/m2). It's been estimated that if these trends continue, one third of all adults and 50% of all children in the UK will be clinically obese by 2020 [Health Select Committee report on Obesity, May 2004].
25 years ago, 'just' 6% of men and 8% of women were obese. Ignoring all that BMI stuff, being obese means a waist measurement typically more than 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women. Look around the average shopping mall on a Saturday and you can see that Weight Concern probably have it about right.
I hope Ms Flint will start asking the right questions, and fast.
Obese people could try cycling - it does not put much strain on the joints as other exercises do e.g. running / football, etc.
Cycle to wherever you need to go - commute to work or whatever, then the exercise forms part of a useful daily routine.
Posted by: Urban-Commuter | 16 September 2006 at 16:09