Welcome to this special edition of esight to mark the launch of the Tackling Obesities project:
Most adults in the UK are already overweight but by 2050 we might expect 60% of men and 50% of women to be clinically obese. Without action, obesity related diseases will cost an extra £45.5 Billion per year, suggesting that tackling obesity requires a societal approach as well as individual efforts.
Tackling Obesity: Future Choices, the latest report to be published today by Foresight, examines a wide-range of aspects around obesity from biology to social and cultural factors in order to understand how to prevent and treat obesity in the future.
Sir David King alongside the lead science experts on the project: Dr Susan Jebb, Dr Peter Koppelman and Prof. Klim McPherson, and the project sponsor Minister Dawn Primarolo, presented the findings at a stakeholder event at the Royal Society of Arts on Wednesday 17th October 2007.
Launching the report Sir David King said:
"Obesity is an enormous challenge for all of society and as Foresight’s unique modelling and systems mapping indicates, the solution is not restricted to individuals simply eating less and being more active.
Tackling Obesity will require a cross-cutting approach looking at not only how we interact with our environment by moving away from a sedentary lifestyle and energy dense foods; but also how we're the product of our own basic biology with a predisposition for gaining weight.
The report is a major step forward in understanding the complex nature of this problem and how to approach it, and will be a helpful tool for Government and policymakers in exploring the key challenges and designing robust strategies to prevent and treat obesity in the future."
The full report can be downloaded at Obesity Outputs