Britain must act now to beat obesity timebomb

Medical experts from all over Britain joined forces today to demand urgent government action to combat an obesity timebomb.

They warn that unless action is taken now, a third of adults, a third of girls and a fifth of boys will be obese by 2020 - putting themselves at serious risk of a wide range of diseases and costing society hundreds of millions of pounds.

Their report, Storing Up Problems: The Medical Case For A Slimmer Nation, warns that heart disease, stroke, joint problems and diabetes are direct results of obesity - and all sections of society are affected. They call for changes in food labelling, health education and the way buildings and town centres are designed in order to encourage people to take more exercise and eat healthily.

The report - from the Royal College of Physicians, the Faculty of Public Health and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health - says one in five adults is obese, and obesity in children aged from two to four almost doubled to nine per cent between 1989 and 1998.

In children aged from six to 15, it more than trebled to 16 per cent between 1990 and 2001, while overweight young people have a 50 per cent chance of becoming overweight adults. And children of overweight parents have twice the risk of being obese themselves.

Professor Peter Kopelman who chaired the report working party, said today: "This report highlights the terrifying health consequences of the obesity epidemic that will particularly impact on our children unless effective and coherent preventive measures are taken.

"It identifies responsibilities of every segment of society, from Government to families, and makes practical recommendations that need to be taken forward immediately to achieve a healthier nation."

Professor Sian Griffiths of the Faculty of Public Health warned: "We don't take enough physical activity and we are eating the wrong foods. Too many children go to school by car and too few ride their bicycles. The UK has the lowest physical activity for schoolchildren in Europe and the problem is worst in the most vulnerable groups, who are also the most socially deprived."

The report also points out the damage in terms of self-esteem and social life. The National Audit Office estimates obesity already costs the NHS at least half-a-billion pounds a year, with a £2billion cost to the wider economy.

Rather than blaming food manufacturers, schools and parents, the report says individuals should be encouraged to change their lifestyles. Professor Alan Craft, President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: "We must find ways of tackling obesity in childhood to prevent the major complications in adult life."