Written evidence submitted by Dr Claire Madigan and Dr Katelynn Slade (both School of Sport, Health, and Exercise Sciences), alongside colleagues at Newcastle University and the University of Oxford, outlined the challenges and possible solutions to tackle one of the country’s main health concerns.
In the third and final report of the Committee’s ‘food and weight management’ inquiry, MPs say they have “no faith” that the government will achieve its aim – stated in the 2025 10 Year Health Plan – to “launch a moonshot to end the obesity epidemic”.
The cross-party organisation says the government needs to clearly define what it means by “ending the obesity epidemic” and set a target and milestones towards reducing rates across the country.
The Committee also call for the government to produce a cross-departmental action plan which takes every opportunity to tackle this challenge. The group states that the Prime Minister must drive action across multiple government departments towards the same objective and ensure it remains a cross-government priority.
The action plan says it should focus equally on both prevention, including through regulatory changes to the food environment, and on treatment with lifelong support for those living with obesity, with options including behavioural support, weight-loss medication and surgery.
Dr Madigan, who is also part of Loughborough University’s Centre for Lifestyle Medicine and Behaviour (CLiMB), said: “It is great that Ministers are highlighting that obesity should be prioritised. It is a complex problem that cannot be fixed without focusing on the underlying causes of obesity and helping people who are already living with obesity to manage their weight.
“We have successful ways to help people lose weight but our work on the SHARE study showed that the current system is not set up for preventing weight regain after weight loss. This also applies to the anti-obesity medications as weight regain is even greater after completing the course of treatment. Greater focus on this area is important to potentially meet government targets and links with the prevention of obesity that the report recommends.
“At CLiMB we want to help people live long happy lives and our work ranges from prevention, focusing on increasing physical activity in school children to offering weight management support before surgery. We welcome the health and social care report and look forward to continuing our work.”
In 2024, 30% of adults in England were living with obesity, a further 36% were overweight, according to NHS England. 28% of children aged 13 to 15 were overweight or obese.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), citing research by Frontier Economics, said obesity costs the UK economy £74.3 billion a year. This includes £11.4 billion to the NHS, £8.9bn to business, £0.4 billion to social care, and costs from reduced quality of life of £48.1 billion.