Childhood Obesity: What Is Being Done?
Article by Rachel Suzette
In simple terms, obesity can be described as being caused by an energy imbalance, i.e. taking in more food than our bodies use throughout the day (HM Government, 2016). Obesity is complex with many drivers, including our behaviours, environment, genetics and culture. The economic cost of treating obesity related issues on the NHS reached an estimated £5.1 billion in 2014/15 (HM Government, 2018). Today, nearly a third of children aged 2 to 15 are classed as overweight or obese, with those children from a low income background more twice as likely to be obese by the age of 11 (Action on sugar, 2022).
The Childhood Obesity Plan
In 2016, the government released the childhood obesity plan, which aimed to significantly reduce the rate of childhood obesity in England, within the next 10 years (HM Government, 2016). Within the initial plan, the government proposed the following measures:
· Soft drinks levy (sugar tax)
· 20% less sugar in certain products
· Supporting reformulation of healthier food products
· Increased physical activity levels of children
· Increased availability of healthier options
· Clearer food labelling
Was it successful?
The initial progress from this plan showed that by 2018 there was a 2% overall reduction in the amount of sugar in products across 5 different categories (HM Government, 2018). Whilst this was a small improvement it missed the target for the first year of 5%. The government released an updated and more extensive childhood obesity plan in 2018 with the aim of halving the number of children who are overweight or obese.
Evidence of success
Already introduced in more than 40 countries worldwide, the most successful measure so far to come out of these plans is the soft drinks levy. This was first introduced in 2018, where all soft drinks containing 5 grams or more per 100ml of added sugar were taxed – i.e. they become more expensive because they contained high amounts of sugar. Those having more than 8 grams per 100ml has even higher taxes (GOV.UK, 2018). In addition, this extra tax money collected intended to go towards helping communities become healthier.
The recommended guidance for children aged 4 to 6 is no more than 19g per day (the equivalent to 5 sugar cubes) and children aged between 7-10 years should have no more than 24g (6 sugar cubes) (NHS, 2020). The regular consumption of sugary soft drinks not only increases the risk of obesity but also tooth decay, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. The soft drinks industry responded by reformulating recipes of their products with a fall in the percentage of drinks with sugar levels over the tax thresholds from 49% to 15%. By implementing this sugar levy on all soft drinks, research looking into this suggested that per household per week there was, on average, a 30g reduction in sugar (Pell et al., 2021). Due to this success, there is a call for this to be extended and cover other products such as sugary milk-based drinks.
The next steps
There was criticism that this plan did not go far enough to overcome the challenges that we face with childhood obesity rates in England, such as not including price promotions, marketing, advertising or labelling. In June 2018 a more extensive childhood obesity strategy was developed and released, which aimed to halve the prevalence of obesity in children. These next steps included measures such as calorie labelling outside of the home, the introduction of a 9pm watershed on TV advertising for unhealthy foods (specifically those of high fat and sugar) with a similar protection for children for online viewing, the banning of price promotions and multi-buy offers of unhealthy food and drinks and banning the promotion of unhealthy foods by location in shops and supermarkets (such as at checkouts and end of aisles) (HM Government, 2018). This was a positive leap from the initial childhood obesity plan which mainly focused on consumer behaviour changes and encouraging healthier choices, and was seen as the first real steps to help manage the prevalence of obesity within the UK. Many of these strategies and interventions are planned to come into effect by 2023.
The first measure to be put into effect from this plan was the introduction of calorie labelling in hospitality venues with 250 or more employees. Introduced in April 2022, it looked to change human food behaviours outside of the home by intensifying healthier choices and hopefully positively effecting obesity rates in England – however, this introduction was very controversial.
To read more about the impact of the introduction of calories onto the menus, click here.
U-turns and delays
After the prime minister Boris Johnson become very unwell from Covid-19 in back in 2020, the government became a lot more health orientated.
In May 2020, bills were passed and laws were created, including the ban of advertising of junk foods and multi-buy supermarket deals (The Guardian, 2022). However, one month later, the government announced that these laws would not come into effect until October 2023 (multi-buy offers) and January 2024 (advertising of junk foods) – a whole year after the original date. The decision to push back these measures has been put down to the current increased cost of living. This decision has been received with great disappointment from many, with petitions being signed and peaceful protests (most notably the Eton mess protest started by celebrity chef and child health campaigner Jamie Oliver) to try to convince the prime minister to reverse his decision (The Guardian, 2022).
Looking on the bright side
Obesity and public health measures often face challenges to be the priority of both government and the general public, however this seems to be changing. The Covid-19 pandemic has made many of us become more aware of about how we can optimise and maintain our health, especially through our diets and the foods we eat. It has already been shown with previous measures, such as the soft drinks sugar levy, that these can have an effect on household food choices and obesity levels. Although there are push backs for the introduction of certain measures, these new measures and plans to introduce future laws are a definitely a step in the right direction, although there is still so much that can be done. There is hope that child health will continue to be a priority within the government.
This blog was written by Rachel Suzette. With 8 years of experience in the hospitality industry as a chef, she is a real foodie. Realising during the covid-19 pandemic that I had a real passion for understanding what we should be eating and why I started my undergraduate degree in Food and Nutrition at Birmingham City University. She is also a volunteer with The Message: Community Grocery, who help people who struggle to afford their weekly shop, providing them with a low cost shopping experience. Rachel would also like to complete a Masters in Obesity and weight management and eventually become an AfN registered nutritionist. I am passionate about sharing science backed information about food, debunking diet myths and banishing bad diet culture. Helping people to have a positive mindset around food and realise that their nutrition can help them live a healthier and happier life. Find her on Instagram: @rachel.suzette.
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