Our health service is creaking.  Under pressure from swine flu yes.  But also under pressure as Great Britain becomes more obese and unhealthy.  This is a massive problem which this Government are sweeping under the table.  We have the worst obesity level in Europe…twice that of France, we are truly not only the sick man of Europe…but the fat man of Europe.

Before we go on.  Some who are obese have medical reasons for being so and have to be differentiated to those who over indulge in their lifestyles, (which the vast majority of obese people do).

Obesity is one of the biggest health challenges we face.   Almost 1 in 4 adults in England are currently obese, and if we carry on as we are by 2050, 9 in 10 adults will be overweight or obese.  Did you know about 46% of men in England and 32% of women are overweight (a body mass index of 25-30 kg/m2), and an additional 17% of men and 21% of women are obese (a body mass index of more than 30 kg/m2 ).  Overweight and obesity increase with age. About 28% of men and 27% of women aged 16-24 are overweight or obese but 76% of men and 68% of women aged 55-64 are overweight or obese. Overweight and obesity are increasing. The percentage of adults who are obese has roughly doubled since the mid-1980’s.

This is providing an intolerable economic strain on the NHS.  The cost of overweight and obese individuals to the NHS is estimated to be £4.2 billion and is forecasted to more than double by 2050. The cost to the wider economy is £16 billion, and this is predicted to rise to £50 billion per year by 2050 if left unchecked.   That’s scary.

In society girls report an intolerable pressure to achieve stick thin figures like their heroes like Jennifer Lopez.  But in reality many are falling into obesity.

This is a huge problem, not just for the UK but more so for the USA.  Americans who are 30 pounds or more over a healthy weight cost the country an estimated $147 billion in weight related medical bills in 2008, (double the amount of a decade ago).  Obesity now accounts for 9.1% of all medical spending, up from 6.5% in 1998.  Overall, an obese patient has $4,871 in medical bills a year compared with $3,442 for a patient of a healthy weight.

Tackling obesity must be a priority of an incoming Conservative Government.  If the UK wants to reduce spending on the health service, we will have to get people dieting, exercising and living a healthier lifestyle.  We have to instil a personal responsibility into society to look after itself.  How can it be morally right for someone to abuse their body on alcohol, food, drink, and then expect to benefit from free health care?

This may involve punitive action on obese individuals through the taxation system.  We all have a moral duty to look after ourselves and lead healthy lifestyles.  If we abuse this, it cannot be right to expect fellow tax payers to bail us out.  Hence the stick maybe needed as the carrot is failing to work.  People like Jamie Oliver have tried to educate the young and parents but many schools still serve poor food.

The key is instilling a cultural change to weight.  This involves changes to what goes on at home, in the neighbourhood, in the schools and in the community.  We are trying to turn round the titanic before it hits the iceberg.

Why is obesity increasing?  Household Income – the risk of obesity in the UK increases the lower your household income, especially in women. Obesity is more common in adults employed in manual occupations as opposed to professional roles.  Ethnicity – For men, obesity in the UK is highest among the Black Caribbean and Irish groups, and women are more likely to be obese if they are from the Black African, Black Caribbean and Pakistani sectors. Age – obesity increases with age, peaking at about 65-74 years old. In this age range 30% of men and 34% of women are obese.

 Other risk factors for obesity include:

• Being an ex-regular smoker
• Genetics
• Lack of exercise
• Poor diet

Obesity tends to run in families, either because it is inherited and/or because families often have the same diet/exercise patterns. Children with two obese parents have approximately 70% chance of becoming obese compared to children with parents in the normal range, who have only a 20% chance.

Levels of childhood obesity increase the levels of adult obesity, since once you’re very overweight as a child it’s extremely difficult to break that trend. Research shows obese children are twice as likely to become overweight adults as slim children.

What is most worrying is our children.  In 2007 almost 23% of all children in the UK age 4-5 were overweight or obese, and nearly 32% of 10-11 year olds, although the true picture could be even higher.

Various factors contribute to children being overweight, including:

1. Not walking to and from school
2. Decreased participation in school sports activities
3. Watching television every day
4. Decreased activity levels in teenagers and children
5. Poor diet
6. Inherited factors

So why is obesity so important an issue.  What are its effects?  Well the more obese a person is, the more likely he or she is to develop health problems. Mild obesity involving a body mass index (BMI) of 30+, is less dangerous to health than morbid obesity (BMI 40+) or malignant obesity (BMI 50+). For example, someone who is 40 percent overweight is twice as likely to die prematurely as an average-weight person. This effect is seen after 10 to 30 years of being obese.  Obesity increases the chances of developing:

It’s time for action.