Academy statement: Government proposals to tackle obesity

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges welcomes the Government’s proposals to tackle the obesity epidemic which has been left unchallenged for far too long. It is an issue that The Academy and its members have long campaigned on. The Academy’s report Measuring Up which called for many of the steps being announced today, was first published in 2013.

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, Chair of the Academy said,

‘Comprehensively tackling the issue of obesity is long overdue and has been a cause for profound concern for the medical profession for many years. It has been disappointing that successive Governments have ducked the issue for so long, but, the with the threat of severe consequences of COVID-19 never far away, we should do everything we can to ensure the entire population is as healthy as possible. Being the right weight helps protect from some of the worst effects of the virus and we know that those who are significantly overweight can be much more vulnerable. While it is frustrating that it took a pandemic to act as a ‘wake-up call’ on this pressing matter, that should not detract from this positive move. It is vital that the proposals are enacted without any further delay.’

26 July 2020