Obesity in the United Kingdom Research Paper Example

📌Category: Great Britain, Health, Obesity, World
📌Words: 1009
📌Pages: 4
📌Published: 18 June 2022

The term ‘obese’ describes a person who is extremely overweight, and has a high body fat percentage (NHS, 2019). Obesity is a medical condition determined by a person's BMI (body mass index), and many people in the United Kingdom are now over the recommended BMI. More action must be taken, and a priority must be given to encouraging (and maintaining) a healthy lifestyle. The influence of those in power and their policies is greater than people think. Between the lack of success of current treatments and policies and people choosing to ignore this problem, the obesity epidemic will continue to grow if serious intervention is not carried out as soon as possible. 

Obesity affects many people in the UK and their quality of life. Day-to-day chores go from being simple to challenging tasks. Obesity can lead to serious health problems such as several types of cancer and heart disease; but not only does it cause physical health problems, it can also increase the chances of mental health issues in teens, such as depression and anxiety. There are many factors that play into obesity - such as genetics - and treatment for obesity, such as taxing high sugar drinks, and trying to educate society on the problem of obesity, but yet many still choose to ignore it and around two thirds of adults in Britain are overweight or obese.  

One example of a policy that was introduced to help combat the obesity problem was the ‘Sugar Levy’ imposed by the government on high-sugar drinks. While some companies have chosen to cut the sugar content of their drinks, others have chosen to keep their recipe the same and charge more for the product (Triggle, 2018). Similar policies have been introduced in several other countries, such as Mexico, Mexicans were consuming 12% fewer fizzy drinks than in the year leading up, and have proven to be effective in reducing how much high-sugar drinks people were purchasing, but there is no evidence to suggest this has reduced obesity, as it is too soon to see the policy's full effect (Triggle, 2018). While some people may be less enticed to buy less high-sugar drinks, many may opt to pay more for the original recipe they are familiar with. Unless all companies are encouraged to reduce the sugar content of their beverages to healthier levels, taxing high-sugar beverages will not prove to be an effective way to solve the obesity problem. 

Childhood obesity is an increasing problem in the United Kingdom and almost one third of children ages 2 to 15 are overweight or obese (HM Government, 2016). This can have severe health complications as they will have a much higher chance of developing type 2 diabetes as an adult and dying prematurely. While this cut in sugar will help reduce the amount of sugar children consume through though drinks, many children’s food is still extremely high in sugar, and many parents do not realise, as the products are marketed for children. Sure, while reducing the sugar intake of kids through drinks may prove to be beneficial, more awareness needs to be brought to the issue of how unhealthy children’s snacks are and the government needs to act to tackle this issue immediately.  While many schools are now offering two hours of PE (physical education) a week, it is recommended children are active for minimum 60 minutes a day (HM Government). It is necessary to ensure that there are options for children when it comes to sports and clubs to encourage them to actively participate in hobbies they enjoy. The money from the sugar tax would be spent (at least partly) on helping schools provide more opportunities for children to be active and exercise which means the techniques to stop childhood obesity work together to lower the cost while also improving the health of many children and giving them a better start to life (HM Government, 2016).  

The accessibility of junk food is another reason why many more people are purchasing junk food rather than healthier options. With junk food being cheap, fast, and tasting great, it makes it sound as though there are many benefits when it comes to fast food, when in fact it is the opposite. The food has high levels of fat and calories, but yet everywhere you turn there is advertising of junk foods, and often deals on to encourage customers to buy even more. The environment that surrounds us engenders obesity and explains why so many people are dangerously overweight (Lawrence, 2018). Our environment is obesogenic. An environment is obesogenic when energy-dense but nutrient-light foods are cheaper than healthy and options, the unhealthy food is sold at a discount to encourage people to buy it, alcohol is sold as a loss leader, and unhealthy options dominate the food advertisement (Lawrence, 2016). The latest NHS figures show that 66% of men and 57% of women in the UK are overweight or obese, and when the overwhelming majority of the population is over the healthy range for BMI it suggests something is majorly wrong with the situation and not people (Lawrence, 2016). London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has suggested the idea of banning the advertisement of junk food and drink on public transport, this would cut down advertising costs and save the billions. While this sounds like a good idea that can be implemented around the country to stop the encouragement of purchasing junk food there is no guarantee that it will have much effect on people’s decisions, and if it does not change their choice, it is not going to help reduce the amount junk food they consume and the negative effects it will have on their health in the future (Lawrence, 2016). The advertisement of food needs to be looked into and new rules need to be enforced, because if the environment we shop in encourages these behaviours, how can we expect people to make healthier choices?

Obesity brings huge costs to the NHS every year—about 6 billion pounds was spent in 2015—and many problems could have been prevented by a healthier lifestyle. These different policies and plans may be helpful, but due to the many changes that have taken place recently, the true extent of their impact may not be seen in the next few years. Obesity is a long-term problem with no quick fix, but the government must address the obesity epidemic as a serious issue and ensure there are healthier options for people, regardless of their situation, if we want to stop the problem in its tracks.

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