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Dr James Davies, Conservative MP for the Vale of Clwyd, and vice-chairman of the all-party group on obesity shares his opinions on why fighting obesity is not nannying but is all about social justice.
Reducing obesity levels is not only vital as we seek to minimise the impact of future waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it should also be considered a critical element of the prime minister’s “levelling up” agenda. The economic impact of obesity cripples some of our most disadvantaged communities and tackling it is, therefore, a matter of social justice. Obesity rates among the most deprived 10% of the population are more than twice that of the least deprived 10%, and the gap in prevalence between rich and poor is tragically still growing.
Obesity is strongly associated with several severe health conditions, including many leading causes of death. Being overweight is associated with poorer mental health outcomes and can exert a tough emotional toll, from bullying at school to the pain of life-long judgmental attitudes and stigma. Most adults in the UK are now overweight, and shockingly, the most common reason for children aged five to nine being admitted to hospital is for sugar-related tooth extractions. Obesity costs the NHS several billion pounds a year, and its overall cost to wider society is estimated to be £27 billion.
Previous efforts to tackle rising levels of obesity have not been bold enough. With supermarkets packed with low priced high fat, sugar and salt products, takeaways and coffee shops on every street corner, and pubs and bars offering large 200 kcal-plus glasses of wine, it is far too easy for all of us to consume more calories than our sedentary lifestyles can withstand. Making healthy choices has become increasingly difficult, and more so in more impoverished communities.
Dr James says, “For me, the measures we need to implement are not about taking away choice, but about the government helping to rebalance the playing field in favour of healthier options, for the benefit of all.”
Source: The Times, 27 July 2020
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Writing in The Big Issue’s Letter to My Younger Self section, Caitlin Moran journalist, author, and The Times columnist said she used drinking and smoking to manage her “massive social anxiety” as a young woman. But she is no longer a “problematic” drinker.
Caitlin said: “I had massive social anxiety due to being raised at home and never talking to anybody. I wish I could go back to the earliest point where I started socialising and tell myself I didn’t need to drink and smoke in order to talk to other people.”
Reflecting on her younger self, she said: “I don’t think my 16-year-old self would be very surprised by anything that’s happened to me. I absolutely have lived the life I presumed I would when I was 16.” Moran, who has been in a relationship with her husband, rock critic Peter Paphides, since she was 19, said “I knew I felt more comfortable around him than anyone else. I didn’t have to pretend to be anyone; I didn’t have to drink or smoke.”
Source: Shropshire Star, 27 July 2020
See also: Big Issue - Caitlin Moran: ‘When it comes to love, art is a very bad advisor’ (paywall)
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West Yorkshire Trading Standards’ work to tackle cheap and illicit tobacco, in partnership with the five West Yorkshire councils including Wakefield Council, has been shortlisted in the Public Health Improvement category of The Municipal Journal (MJ) Awards 2020.
The ‘Tackling Illicit Tobacco for Better Health Programme’, funded by the Public Health departments of the five West Yorkshire councils, is helping people to stop tobacco use by educating the public about and investigating traders who supply illicit tobacco.
The initiative uses multi-agency enforcement and community marketing campaigns to tackle the problems of illicit trade. To date, the programme has taken over one million cigarettes and 128 kilograms of illegal hand rolling tobacco off the streets of Wakefield.
Linda Davis, West Yorkshire Trading Standards Manager, said: “All tobacco – both legal and illegal – kills half of all long-term smokers. Children and young smokers are often targeted by people who sell illegal cigarettes, making it even easier for them to get hooked on smoking. The people making money out of this do not care who they sell to. We are delighted to have been shortlisted for this award as it is recognition for all the hard work of all the partners involved.”
Source: Wakefield Express, 27 July 2020
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Investigators found 145 packets of illicit cigarettes, as well as seven 50g pouches of rolling tobacco in a specially built cupboard inside a hardware shop’s toilet during a trading standards raid. A trained sniffer dog made the discovery.
Salford council said nine businesses across the city were targeted in raids this week, launched on the back of information received about the illegal sale of tobacco products. In total, 349 packets of illicit cigarettes and 542 50g pouches of rolling tobacco, worth just under £10,000 were seized from five businesses. They also seized over £1,460 in cash from a business under the Proceeds of Crime Act. All five businesses are now under further investigation.
Councillor David Lancaster, the council’s lead member for environment and community safety, said: “Cracking down on illegal tobacco is part of our support for Greater Manchester’s strategy to reduce smoking by a third by the end of 2021. That would mean 115,000 fewer smokers with a massive positive impact on people’s health, let alone saving thousands of pounds a year going up in smoke.”
Source: Manchester Evening News, 23 July 2020
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Melbourne City Council is voting on Tuesday (28 July 2020) on whether to ban e-cigarettes from 11 inner-Melbourne no-smoking zones.
In a submission to council, Civil Liberties Australia (CLA) said there was no evidence that brief exposure to e-cigarette vapour in the open-air harms the health of others. The CLA submission said: “There is no defensible scientific or medical basis for additional bans and controls, and the proposal should be rejected.”
Vapers have also opposed the move, arguing that inhaling aerosolised nicotine can help people quit smoking.
Source: Daily Mail, 27 July 2020
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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.
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