Junk food ads banned, calories from detailed menus and doctor's prescription for cycling: the British government announced a major plan to fight overweight in the UK on Monday, after a study which pointed to obesity in as an aggravating factor of the coronavirus.
"We know obesity increases the risk of serious illness and dying from the coronavirus, so it is vital that we take action to improve the health of our nation and protect the NHS" (the UK public health service), said Health Minister Matt Hancock said in a statement on Monday.
Adopt a healthier lifestyle
The campaign "In better health", launched by the British health authorities "will invite people to adopt a healthier lifestyle and to lose weight if they need it", detailed in a statement the institution which wants to fight against “the time bomb that is obesity”.
Measures announced on Monday include a TV and online ban on advertising junk food before 9 p.m. "when children are most likely to be exposed to it," as well as a requirement for restaurants and takeout chains with more than 250 employees publicize the number of calories on their menus.
Supermarkets will also have to end promotions on junk food and will be "prohibited from placing these items in key locations of their stores, such as in front of the checkouts or at the entrance". “When you shop, it's right to have access to the right information about the food you eat, to help people make the right decisions,” said Matt Hancock.
Prescribe cycling
In addition to an expansion of the NHS branches devoted to weight loss, GPs will also be "encouraged to prescribe physical exercise" to their patients.
According to a source from Downing Street quoted by the British news agency PA, this could take the form of pilot projects in poor health districts, where doctors will be able to "prescribe cycling sessions", which will be facilitated by the contribution of equipment and the creation of separate cycle paths.
The plan was made public after a PHE study found on Saturday that obese people had a 40% increased risk of dying from the coronavirus.
It marks a 180-degree turn for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who previously spoke out against “taxes on our sins” and a “mothering” approach to the state. He himself had to be hospitalized in intensive care in the spring after contracting Covid-19, several times attributing the severity of his symptoms, among other things, to his weight.
"We can all feel slimmer and healthier"
“Losing weight is difficult, but with a few small changes we can all feel slimmer and healthier,” said Boris Johnson, believing it would “protect against the coronavirus” and “take the pressure off the NHS ”, the British health services.
The government has not given details about the funding for the plan, but the Guardian has put the cost of the measures at 10 million pounds (11 million euros).
In the UK, nearly two-thirds (63%) of adults are above a weight considered healthy, with 36% overweight and 28% obese, according to government data. One in three children between the ages of 10 and 11 is also overweight or obese, which has harmful long-term effects on their health.
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- Physical activity
- Overweight
- Food
- United Kingdom
- Obesity