A prediction made seven years ago that half of all Britons would be obese by 2050 looks like an underestimate, claims a new report. Charlotte Rixon finds out more.

The National Obesity Forum (NOF) has warned that Britain is in danger of exceeding the prediction made in the 2007 Foresight report that nearly half of all Britons would be obese by 2050, costing the economy £50 billion a year. The warning, made in the State of the Nation’s Waistline report, published on 13 January this year, is based on data showing a sharp rise in obesity levels over the last 20 years, together with lack of determined action from the Government. In the report, Professor David Haslam, chair of the NOF, stated that: “Without action across the board – from Government, business, society and individuals – we might feel fortunate if only 50 per cent of the population is obese and the annual cost is only £50 billion in 2050.”

Hard-hitting campaigns

The forum is calling for ‘hard hitting campaigns’, similar to the approach taken against smoking, to help stem the upsurge in obesity, arguing that campaigns like Change4Life, which promote healthier choices, “do not go far enough”.

Professor Haslam told TM: “Change4Life campaigns are naive because they always depict thin people switching from unhealthy to healthy snacks but they never show overweight people making the changes. We need hard-hitting campaigns like we’ve seen for smoking.” Furthermore, the NOF argues that resources such as the ‘Eatwell Plate’ have overlooked the importance of choosing low calorie drinks like water over sugary ones including fruit juice.

Making every contact count

The report also highlights the lack of weight management services available in primary care and urges healthcare professionals to ‘make every contact count’ by engaging with patients about their weight. While the report focuses on the support that GPs can provide obese patients, Professor Haslam argues that community pharmacy “can make a big difference through initiatives like healthy living pharmacies” In response, pharmacist and NOF trustee Graham Philips has called for a nationally commissioned pharmacy-based weight management service. “Pharmacy has a proven role in public health in areas like smoking and emergency hormonal contraception and it makes sense that it could do the same for obesity,” he said.