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 29 August 2008 07:06 BST

Government launches obesity toolkit

Wednesday, 04 Apr 2007 08:38
The government wants to encourage people to stay in shape
The government has launched a new online toolkit designed at halting rapidly rising levels of obesity in Britain.

According to the Department of Health, the toolkit is designed to help councils and local authorities support people in their areas by providing information and practical tips on being a healthy weight and staying fit in general.

Its publication comes as official figures show a quarter of the UK's adult population is classified as obese, while the number of obese children has risen by more than 40 per cent in the last 12 years.

Government statistics warn that there could be more than 12 million adults and one million children classified as obese in Britain by 2010 unless action is taken to halt this increase.

Public health minister Caroline Flint today explained: "Obesity has a major impact on people's health and can lead to Type two diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke and cancer. And for this reason, reducing obesity is a government priority.

"That's where the obesity toolkit can help - providing a raft of information and tools such as useful statistics, practical initiatives and examples of good practice. It has been set up to provide local planners with a starting point for developing a local strategy to tackle overweight and obesity tailor made for their areas."

Ms Flint went on to say that the initiative "isn't about telling people what to do".

"The obesity toolkit provides professionals in local government and the NHS with the tools they need to tackle this problem," she elaborated.

Jane Landon, deputy chief executive of the National Heart Forum, commented: "The obesity toolkit will provide primary care trusts and local authorities with an invaluable online resource which will help them develop a strategy for tackling overweight and obesity in their local area, taking into account the specific needs of the population, and based on the best available evidence of effectiveness."
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