Joint effort from doctors and health professionals to tackle childhood obesity
Katy Morton
Monday, April 16, 2012
The medical profession has launched a new campaign to tackle childhood obesity, which doctors say is the 'single greatest public health threat' in Britain.
Health professionals including paediatricians, surgeons and GPs have joined forces under the umbrella of the Academy of Royal Medical Colleges (AoMRC) to launch the campaign, which will begin with a three month evidence gathering inquiry.
Representatives from all 21 Royal Medical colleges and faculties will seek the views of health professionals, local authorities, education providers and charities, and collate evidence of research and strategies that have worked to prevent or reduce child and adult obesity, covering five key areas:
action that can be taken by individuals, such as diet, exercise and positive parenting.
the environment - advertising, food labelling, local authority policies and facilities.
clinical interventions
fiscal measures including taxation, minimum pricing and personal incentives.
education
The first report, published later this year, will make series of practical recommendations for how the medical profession, individuals, organisations and the Government can ensure an effective and coherent approach to reducing obesity levels.
It is hoped that the report will provide a spring board for further campaigning activity into next year.
Professor Terence Stephenson, vice-chair of the AoMRC and President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said, ‘Our starting point is the collective desire to ensure the healthcare profession is doing all it can to detect, treat, manage – and ultimately prevent – obesity.
‘It is unprecedented that the medical royal colleges and faculties have come together on such a high profile public health issue. But we’ve done so because we recognise the huge crisis waiting to happen and believe that current strategies to reduce obesity are failing to have a significant impact.
‘By speaking with one voice we have a more of a chance of preventing generation after generation falling victim to obesity-related illnesses and death.’
Organisations and individuals can submit evidence at: http://aomrc.org.uk/committees/item/obesity-steering-group.html
