Articles

About the National Obesity Forum

Details

Published on Tuesday, 18 October 2011

The National Obesity Forum [NOF] was established in May 2000 to raise awareness of the emerging epidemic of obesity and the effect that it was going to have on both individuals and the NHS.  Try as the NOF might to urge government to introduce bold action to stem the problem, the Labour Administration [1997-2010] failed to come up with any meaningfuol initiative.  Unfortunately it would appear from the first strategy document produced by the Coalition [Oct 13th 2011] that firm action is still some way away.  

Unless bold action is taken - and quickly - the predictions of the Foresight Report [2007] may surely come to pass with 60% of the UK population being overweight/obese with a loss to the xchequer of some £50bn per annum.  This situation should not be tolerated either at national level or local level where obese patients of to-day might develop non communicable diseases to-morrow.  Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular problems, some cancers, hypertension and premature death may all be consequencies of morbid obesity. 

The NOF is particularly concerned with the lack of focus on prevention.  Unless measures are introduced to address the root causes of obesity - now regarded as being evident even before birth - the problem will never be solved.  It may still take a generation to achieve.