Bad diet is just one side of the obesity coin
In Short:
There is too much focus on food intake and too little emphasis on the importance of physical activity, it was argued by stakeholders at the annual obesity conference.
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Background:
Sedentary modern life-style and over-eating have lead to obesity becoming the number one public health challenge of the 21st century.
For more background on EU initiatives to tackle the obesity challenge see EurActiv 15 May 2006.
Issues:
The annual European obesity conference, on 6-7 June 2006, gathers the main stakeholders to examine the current European strategies in the fight against obesity and to take note of the best practice for developing a long-term strategy for health. The opening of the conference saw some stakeholder reactions in favour of refocusing the obesity debate to give more attention to the role of physical activity in the obesity (see positions here under) instead of concentrating on food intake.
At this occasion, Professor Pekka Puska, Director-General of the Finnish National Public Health Institute presented the priorities for tackling obesity during the forthcoming Finnish EU presidency. He said that the challenge would be discussed, in September 2006, in a high level expert meeting. Accordinh to Puska the "public health is greatly determined by lifestyles and environments and only to a limited degree (15%?) by health services. That is why we need to work with all stakeholders on health in all policies".
The Finnish approach to fighting obesity is thus set to be very broad, embracing policies on food and nutrition, agriculture, transport, education & youth, alcohol, sports and workplace. Finland is also set to give a particular emphasis on tackling inequalities in obesity as well as in health in general.
Professor Puska also showed some figures demonstrating how "all major health factors, except tobacco, are related to how we drink, eat and move". He did not deny the role of personal responsibility on obesity, but said that governments should watch what industry is doing and that, as environment affects health, "it is public responsibility to make the healthy choice the easy choice".
Positions:
Jean Martin, president of the Confederation of the Food & Drink Industries of the EU (CIAA) said that the industry would like the member states to take more actively part in the various Commission initiatives, such as the industry-lead Platform for action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, which "has quickly delivered some interesting results based on industry self-regulation, such as voluntary restrictions on advertising and marketing to children and reductions of amounts of sugar, salt and fat in various products".
Jean Martin also highlighted the role of public authorities in providing public infrastructure for, for example cycle paths, and praised the Dutch example of safe cycle paths allowing children to go to school by bike. He also said that perhaps numerous families could be given tax incentives on sporting activities.
Fred Brouns, manager on nutritional science at Cargill, a provider of food, agricultural and risk management products and services, said that food intake is only one part of the obesity problem and called after more debate on the physical activity -side of it. He also asked for daily lessons of physical activity at school. "Pressure should be made on politicians to allow for construction of sport infrastructures at schools," he said.
Neville Rigby, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at IASO International Obesity Taskforce, said that there is a need to increase physical activity for all, not just for children. He said that urban development and transport policies should promote physical activity opportunities - streets, for example, should be made safer instead of focusing on increasing car use.
Previously, some stakeholder reactions to the Commission's Green Paper on how to fight obesity have already shown that stakeholders would like to see more emphasise on the role of physical activity in the paper. "The role of sports is not promoted enough, especially the role of sports early in school," said Michael Trinker of the EU-Office of German Sports.
The Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME) has highlighted the fact that behavioural patterns established in childhood and adolescence often remain in adult life and that "all pupils in schools should have at least 1 hour of physical activity a day".
Latest & next steps:
A high level expert meeting dealing with health in all policies will take place in Finland in September 2006.
A WHO ministerial conference on obesity will take place in Turkey in November 2006.
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