A year ago the government promised action to tackle the staggeringly high levels of child obesity across the country. A third of our children leave primary school overweight, with a fifth already obese. Obesity in childhood almost always leads to obesity in adulthood.
The government vowed to produce a game-changing strategy that would make a real difference to our children’s health. Just a few weeks ago, following years of joint working with charities and professionals, it was close to launching this strategy. But now, instead of plans to regulate industry, address unhealthy promotions and stop junk food being advertised on primetime TV, we have a 13-page document with few details, a preponderance of voluntary measures and a blatant disregard for the evidence.
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The new prime minister entered Downing Street with a pledge to tackle health inequality and to champion the needs of the individual in preference to the “mighty”. Obesity has a disproportionate impact on the poorest in our society. Health inequalities are some of the starkest in the country, and obesity illustrates that perfectly: the poorer you are, the more likely you are to be obese. The new government faced its first test of this pledge with a chance to address inequality and protect the next generation from diseases such as cancer. This plan fails that test. There can be little doubt that cancer prevention has fallen victim to economic scaremongering and industry lobbying.
Last year I was asked to lead a taskforce which developed a strategy to improve cancer services in the NHS. It was clear that one of the first things we needed to do was to reduce the rapidly growing numbers of people diagnosed with cancers that are preventable. Obesity is second only to smoking as the biggest preventable cause of cancer; action on both is needed to have a real impact on the four in 10 cancers that are preventable. If this country doesn’t start tackling obesity now, we will face a burden of disease that we will be unable to cope with. Cancer Research UK has shown that if nothing is done, obesity could cause 670,000 new cases of cancer over the next 20 years in the UK, and millions more cases of other diseases.
An effective strategy needs to be multi-faceted, since obesity is a complex problem. A strong consensus exists on the range of measures necessary. One critical omission in the latest plan is junk food advertising. Academics, medical professionals and health charities have provided the government with clear evidence: children who see junk food adverts are more likely to eat unhealthy food. And if restrictions were in place before the 9pm watershed, children’s exposure to advertising would be more than halved.
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The reasons why these adverts are so successful are clear. A range of tactics is used to promote junk food, including cartoon characters, celebrity endorsement and movie tie-ins. Marketing junk food influences both what food children ask their parents to buy and the brands they prefer – setting them up for a lifetime of unhealthy choices.
Some will say parents should be responsible for what their children eat. Parents clearly have a key role, but as a father I know the pitfalls of pester power and how hard it can be for families to shun the tempting junk and ensure healthy food is always on the table. The bombardment of junk food advertising on TV doesn’t help.
The government readily acknowledges that junk food marketing is a problem. It’s already removed junk food adverts during children’s programming. Public Health England’s evidence review is clear that all forms of marketing influence children.
There are elements of the plan we welcome. It does re-affirm a commitment to the soft drinks industry levy, a measure that is tried, tested and popular – and that we want brought in without delay. Increased exercise and healthier eating in schools is also to be applauded. There is a welcome attempt to reduce the amount of sugar that children consume.
But warm words mean nothing without action. And voluntary commitments with no penalties or enforcement will not protect our next generation from cancers or other illnesses. Nor will they reduce the crippling burden of obesity on the NHS. The chief executive of NHS England has said that obesity could “bankrupt the NHS”. This warning has gone unheeded, and children across the UK will be let down.
This plan was delayed by a year, with the government stating it wanted to look at “everything that contributes to a child becoming overweight and obese”. To ignore the impact of marketing and in-store promotions is inexcusable. We need the game-changing strategy we were promised. As it stands, our children will suffer from a rising tide of ill-health due to obesity well into the future.
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