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Concerned with rising obesity figures in the country researchers in England have estimated the cost of diseases related to being overweight or obese and shared it with all PCTs in England. The idea is raise concern amongst the Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in England about the tremendous costs involved in the treatments of obese people and empower them to educate people in their area about the merits of staying healthy.
Researchers have figured out the cost of diseases related to being overweight in 2007 and have estimated how much it will cost at a local level in 2015 if no serious action is taken to curb the number of obese people in the country. The alarming figures have been reported in the new 'Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives toolkit: A Toolkit for Developing Local Strategies', which is made available to all PCTs and Local Authorities to assist them in tackling obesity in their particular area and encourage citizens to live healthier lives.
Last year, Foresight report highlighted, nationally the cost of being overweight or obese cost the NHS £4.2 billion in 2007. This could rise to £6.3 billion in 2015. The well-researched toolkit also offers advice on how local health professionals can help families in their areas to eat more healthy and live a more active lifestyle. The Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives toolkit also incorporates research from the upcoming Change4Life campaign to provide an insight into why families find it difficult to live healthy lives.
Offering insights on the reasons for obesity in families, the report says -
- Merely 11.5% of parents recognized that their children are overweight.
- Most parents underestimate the amount of unhealthy and convenience food they buy while they overestimate the amount of activities their children do.
- Just 38% of adults are aware that obesity can lead to heart diseases and only 6% recognized the link of being overweight to cancer.
- Many families offer snacks as rewards, as fillers and to appease conflict.
- Parents of grown-up children are more concerned about not feeding their kids enough and risk of eating disorder such as anorexia.
- The report observes that lack of knowledge, confidence and skills as the major hurdles that stops parents to cook from the scratch.
Change4Life is a new national movement which is about to kick start this autumn before a major publicity campaign starts in January. The movement intends to help people in England live healthier and more active lives. "The Change4Life campaign will help us all to change the way we eat, the way we exercise and the way we raise our children so we can prevent obesity and related diseases." said Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo.
Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson has also welcomed the 'Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives', toolkit and has expressed hopes about its success. The officer also expressed his concern for the rise in obesity statistics and said, "The link between obesity and preventable illnesses, such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer is undeniable. In England almost two-thirds of adults and a third of children are either overweight or obese; without effective action this could rise to nine in ten adults and two-thirds of children by 2050.
Affirming his confidence in the relevance of the toolkit, Paul Lincoln, Chief Executive of the National Heart Forum, said the new toolkit will help PCTs and local authorities become more focused in their efforts towards preventing and tackling obesity.
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