More on the Obesity Risk Factor (BBC News / McKinsey Global Institute / Journal of Public Health / Lancet / PLoS Medicine)

Summary

A report from the McKinsey Global Institute states that the worldwide cost of obesity is equal to that of smoking or armed conflict. It is estimated to cost £1.3 trillion, or 2.8% of world GDP. Obesity probably costs the UK £47 billion overall, according to this report.

Around 2.1 billion people (30% of global population) are overweight or obese. Independent view are presented regarding potential strategies to tackle obesity; the report covers 74 possible interventions (across 18 groups) worldwide. The 18 broad groupings are:

1. Active transport.
2. Health-care payors.
3. Healthy meals.
4. High-calorie food and drink availability.
5. Labeling.
6. Media restrictions.
7. Parental education.
8. Pharmaceuticals.
9. Portion control.
10. Price promotions.
11. Public-health campaigns.
12. Reformulation.
13. School curriculum.
14. Subsidies, taxes, and prices.
15. Surgery.
16. Urban environment.
17. Weight management programs.
18. Workplace wellness.

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Reference

Pym, H. (2014). Obesity ‘costing same as smoking’. London: BBC Health News, November 20^th 2014.

This relates to:

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Reference

Dobbs, R. Sawers, C. [and] Thompson, F. [et al] (2014). Overcoming obesity: an initial economic analysis. Discussion paper. London & San Francisco: McKinsey Global Institute, November 19^th 2014.

There is also an Executive Summary.

Obesity Population Subgroups?

A recent study examined subgroups of obese individuals, to avoid misdirected catch-all approaches to tackling obesity.

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Reference

Scientists call for stop to ‘one-size-fits-all’ weight loss plans. London: BBC Health News, April 18^th 2015.

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Reference

Green, MA. Strong, M. [and] Razak, F. [et al] (2015). Who are the obese? A cluster analysis exploring subgroups of the obese. Journal of Public Health. April 18^th 2015. [Epub ahead of print]. (Click here to view the PubMed abstract).

Possibly also of interest:

Ng, M. Fleming, T. [and] Robinson, M. [et al] (2014). Global, regional, and national prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adults during 1980-2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. Lancet. August 30^th 2014, Vol.384(9945), pp.766-81. (Click here to view the PubMed abstract).

More recently:

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Reference

Roberts, M. (2015). UK children becoming obese at younger ages. London: BBC Health News, May 20^th 2015.

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Reference

Li, L., Kuh, D. [and] Hardy, R. (2015). (2015). How has the age-related process of overweight or obesity development changed over time? co-ordinated analyses of individual participant data from five United Kingdom birth cohorts. PLoS Medicine. May 19^th 2015. [Epub ahead of print].