Obesity needs to be tackled for future’s sake

There have been many obvious health implications regarding the Covid19 pandemic, but obesity may not have immediately been among them. That is not to say we can put the blame for our current obesity crisis entirely at the door of the coronavirus – but it has certainly helped exacerbate the problem.

So it is no surprise to hear that two thirds of adults, a third of Year 6 children, and a quarter of children in reception are overweight or obese in Hampshire, according to a new report.

For months we were told to stay at home as much as possible. Yes, there were special dispensations for a daily outdoor exercise break, and many people took full advantage of that.

But how many more didn’t? Working from home, the ‘commute’ suddenly became merely clearing the kitchen table, or walking back upstairs to work in the spare room. There was no longer even the walk to and from school for the majority of parents and pupils.

For many, our lives became an awful lot more sedentary during those long months.

And of course, we are creatures of habit, and once you are out of the routine of regular exercise of any form, it becomes that much harder to get back into it. While there is a degree of personal responsibility involved in losing weight, it is not all on the individual.

As public health consultant Sian Davies added: ‘We need systemic changes, but cannot make assumptions about people, especially when it comes to mental health.’

Sadly, obesity is also linked to deprivation, and this region has many deprived areas.

It is a problem that needs to be tackled across the board, and a multi-agency approach is one that stands the best chance of yielding success.

Because if this isn’t tackled now, we are storing up even greater problems in decades ahead.