Obesity: “Tell People They Must Not Eat So Much” – Former Minister

A Conservative ex-minister wants the Government message on obesity to focus on telling people “they must not eat so much”.

Lord Robathan was commenting on the country’s anti-obesity strategy in the House of Lords, with the former Conservative MP claiming it should be “socially unacceptable” to be very overweight.

He said; “I’m glad the Government recognises the huge problem this is and the dangers that being overweight bring. The strategy, as good as it might be, is not actually working.

“Is it not time, perhaps, to revert to the situation when I was young, when it was not socially acceptable to be grossly overweight and push individual responsibility?

“The Government’s policy should tell people they must not eat so much.”

Official figures suggest 28% of adults in England are obese, almost double the rate from 1993.

This is the backdrop for the latest attempt by Government to improve eating and exercise habits of the nation.

A new app to help people make positive changes to their lifestyle will launch next year, with wrist-worn devices that can, states a Department of Health and Social Care document, “generate personalised health recommendations, such as increasing their step count, eating more fruit and vegetables and decreasing portion size.”

Users are rewarded with points, which unlock tangible benefits like gym passes, clothes or food vouchers and discounts for shops, cinema or theme park tickets.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid, said; “I want to ensure we’re doing as much as we can to tackle health disparities across the country, and this new pilot will pave the way for developing innovate ways to improve the lives of individuals, and also help to reduce strain on the NHS.”

The pilot scheme will start in January and run for six months prior to an evaluation of the results.