Society Promotes Obesity

Individuals cannot take all the blame if they are obese - modern society
adds pressure to put on weight, according to a report.
The study by think-tank Foresight called for greater help to counter the
"'obesogenic' environment" by designing towns and cities to promote walking
and cycling and encouraging people to buy healthier food.
But it could take 30 years to tackle the problem, it said. Obesity rates
have more than doubled in the last 25 years - in 2004, nearly a quarter of
men and women were obese.
"There is compelling evidence that humans are predisposed to put on weight
by their biology," the report said.
"Although personal responsibility plays a crucial part in weight gain, human
biology is being overwhelmed by the effects of today's 'obesogenic'
environment, with its abundance of energy-dense food, motorised transport
and sedentary lifestyles.
"As a result, the people are inexorably becoming heavier simply by living of
today."
Some experts said the report confirmed what the government had known for
years and accused it of failing to act.
Peter Hollins, chief executive of the Heart Foundation, said it was "hardly
a wake-up call".
"Reports like this, which should have had alarm bells ringing ... long ago,
have been met only by repeated pushes of the government's snooze button," he
said.
Govt has launched a campaign for greater participation in sports at school
to combat the looming obesity crisis, which Health Secretary Alan Johnson
was potentially on the scale of climate change.
Government-commissioned research suggested half of all people will be obese
in 25 years if current trends are not halted; furthermore, 86 per cent of
men will be overweight in 15 years and 70 per cent of women in 20, it
suggested. [SMH]