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Loughborough MP issues Obesity Challenge
Posted on 06/07/2007
P. Klein
Loughborough MP Andy Reed told new Health Secretary Alan Johnson that public health and tackling lifestyle diseases like obesity must remain at the heart of health policy.
Obesity is responsible for more than 9,000 premature deaths per year in England. Obesity is an important risk factor for a number of chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, some cancers, and type 2 diabetes. Thats one avoidable death per hour, every hour of the day, 365 days per year. And the situation is getting worse.
The prevalence of obesity in children aged under 11 increased from 9.9 percent in 1995 to 13.7 percent in 2003 (Health Survey for England, 1995-2003).
Andy Reed challenged the Minister during a Commons Statement on Health Policy. He said "I am keen to see public health matters remain at the centre of policy - before we become too hospital focused. I believe Alan Johnson understands this but I wanted to hammer home the point"
Mr. Andy Reed (Loughborough) (Lab/Co-op): I welcome the Secretary of States statement and the fact that he is in listening mode. I will bring him many of the local issues that I wish to discuss, such as GP referrals and GP out of hours services at walk-in centres. It is important that the review is not just hospital led. Does my right hon. Friend agree that public health, especially challenging lifestyles, will be the most important thing that we do? Obesity is reckoned to cost the country £8 billion a year. Will he work across Departments, as he has done in his other roles, to ensure physical activity, sport and so on play a crucial role in developing and delivering many of the lifestyle changes that are needed to reduce health inequalities?
Alan Johnson: My hon. Friend is right. I can give him the assurance that public health will be a central part of what we are examining. We are some way off our public service agreement target on obesity. As I mentioned in my statement, these are the new problems that we are dealing with. Lifestyle changes have brought about a whole set of new problems that did not exist back in 1948. Malnutrition, rather than obesity, was the problem then. We need to tackle that and face up to the challenges presented by demographic and lifestyle changes. That is one of the basic reasons for the review.