Tackling obesity

Gyms and pools must reopen

PLANS FOR the state to take a greater interest in people’s weight may not yet be fullyformed – but are a reflection of how profoundly the coronavirus pandemic has changed thinking about public health policy from those in power.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who wrote in 2004 that “the more the state tries to take responsibility for the problem, the less soluble the problem will become”, now wants to see Government action to tackle the UK’s obesity problem.

Covid-19 is documented to carry greater risks for those who are overweight and, just as lockdown upended traditional Conservative economic policy, the virus also looks like to transform the approach to public health.

While no details have yet been put forward officially, reports have suggested that there could be wider availability of fitness and healthy eating programmes and possibly a wider use of bariatric surgery, which includes the fitting of gastric bands.

Getting the nation fitter and healthier won’t just reduce pressure on the NHS but most importantly will allow people to live much happier and productive lives.

In the immediate term, getting swimming pools and gyms reopened and allowing amateur team sport competitions to resume would be a huge step in the right direction; as would reopening schools to all pupils as soon as possible so young people can begin participating in PE lessons once again.

The fact that the reopening of pubs has been prioritised above places of physical exercise shows the long distance yet to run in changing attitudes to this issue at the heart of Government.