Lord Emsworth
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Post by Lord Emsworth on Jul 25, 2020 9:39:51 GMT
Public Health England calls for action on obesity in Covid-19 fight
The case for action on obesity has “never been stronger”, according to Public Health England , who today publish a review of evidence which shows that being overweight remains one of the biggest risk factors in the battle against Covid-19.
The health agency’s review of evidence relating to weight and the effects of the virus, published on Saturday, found that the risks of hospitalisation, intensive care treatment and death all “seem to increase progressively with increasing BMI (body mass index) above the healthy weight range”.
As other risk factors, such as age, ethnicity and sex cannot be changed, PHE says interventions to help people lose weight or prevent weight gain “may be one of the few modifiable risk factors for Covid-19”. 63% of adults in England are overweight or obese which is a staggeringly high percentage What would you do to help get people down to a healthier weight?
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Post by Arthur Pringle on Jul 25, 2020 14:48:30 GMT
A while ago I read that eating habits & levels of activity today are more or less the same as they were in the 70's & what has changed is what we eat rather than how much.
Not sure what I'd suggest to someone who is overweight, it's not as if people aren't aware if they're carrying too much fat on their bodies. Long term habits are not easy to break, it's ok suggesting that people eat less & eat healthily, it's putting it into practice that's hard. I also think most people have been misled into believing that exercise is some kind of magic wand that makes fat vanish, it isn't.
The health industry makes a fortune out of making something that is very simple, ie. eating fewer calories than your body requires, into something very complicated. That said, if losing weight is straightforward, why are most people overweight? It's not because they're lazy as thin people are lazy too, it's not because they're ignorant re what they should be eating, I think it's just a simple matter of habit. If you get into the habit of eating/drinking excessively it is very hard to break it without imagining that you are denying yourself food & drink that you enjoy. It's like taking away a child's toys, what do you replace them with?
I have family members who eat what they want rather than what their body requires, you might as well tell them to learn how to be a brain surgeon than expect them to change their eating habits. I stopped eating meat years ago, I never missed it as I didn't eat much to start with, but for other people a life without meat is unthinkable. Booze is another. Or imagine asking someone to never watch tv again. I'm sure it's down to the brain rather than the body, there are just things some people will NOT DO & if it means they remain overweight or even die as result then so be it.
On another point, the small shops that only allow a few customers in at a time in, what a pain in the arse it must be for the person behind the counter. Every time I go in Bargain Booze the woman has to shout 'can you stay outside please' as a new customer opens the door, she must have to do this hundreds of times a day. It would drive me up the wall
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Post by Arthur Pringle on Jul 26, 2020 18:44:24 GMT
I was outside a shop earlier today and a man turned up in a car & was stopped by the shopkeeper outside as he had no face covering on. His reply was 'I'm only coming in for some fags', then when told he had to wear a mask, he complained 'it's not fair' & 'I don't like wearing them', then his great moment came when the shopkeeper broke it to him that 'it's mandatory now' & he replied ' I didn't know' Unfortunately he was served, albeit at the door.
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Three Litre
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Post by Three Litre on Jul 27, 2020 8:51:40 GMT
Public Health England calls for action on obesity in Covid-19 fight
The case for action on obesity has “never been stronger”, according to Public Health England , who today publish a review of evidence which shows that being overweight remains one of the biggest risk factors in the battle against Covid-19.
The health agency’s review of evidence relating to weight and the effects of the virus, published on Saturday, found that the risks of hospitalisation, intensive care treatment and death all “seem to increase progressively with increasing BMI (body mass index) above the healthy weight range”.
As other risk factors, such as age, ethnicity and sex cannot be changed, PHE says interventions to help people lose weight or prevent weight gain “may be one of the few modifiable risk factors for Covid-19”. 63% of adults in England are overweight or obese which is a staggeringly high percentage What would you do to help get people down to a healthier weight?
It's a tricky one as people don't like to told this but as you say it's a real problem, even without Covid. It needs school kids taught about healthy eating, changes in advertising, taxes on unhealthy food etc. You need a real culture change which is never easy. First up is getting people to want to change.
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Lord Emsworth
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Post by Lord Emsworth on Jul 27, 2020 11:16:14 GMT
Public Health England calls for action on obesity in Covid-19 fight
The case for action on obesity has “never been stronger”, according to Public Health England , who today publish a review of evidence which shows that being overweight remains one of the biggest risk factors in the battle against Covid-19.
The health agency’s review of evidence relating to weight and the effects of the virus, published on Saturday, found that the risks of hospitalisation, intensive care treatment and death all “seem to increase progressively with increasing BMI (body mass index) above the healthy weight range”.
As other risk factors, such as age, ethnicity and sex cannot be changed, PHE says interventions to help people lose weight or prevent weight gain “may be one of the few modifiable risk factors for Covid-19”. 63% of adults in England are overweight or obese which is a staggeringly high percentage What would you do to help get people down to a healthier weight?
It's a tricky one as people don't like to told this but as you say it's a real problem, even without Covid. It needs school kids taught about healthy eating, changes in advertising, taxes on unhealthy food etc. You need a real culture change which is never easy. First up is getting people to want to change. I agree Three Litre
I also believe there are many potential quick wins
We know that sugar, salt and fat, which were in short supply during most of our evolutionary history, are things are bodies naturally crave. Manufacturers of fast foods play on this natural addiction. The sugar tax has helped to offset some of this. Other quick wins might include...
Banning advertising as advertising normalises the consumption of foods that should be, at best, regarded as occasional treats Health warnings on packaging Public information advertising on TV, radio, online Subsidies for healthier alternatives especially fruit and vegetables Higher taxes on fast foods with money raised used for healthy subsidies elsewhere Celebrity endorsements for healthy lifestyles Tax breaks for people who maintain a healthy BMI
etc etc
None of this is telling people what they can't do, it's just informing people about the consequences of their choices and incentivising them to make positive changes
The savings to the NHS would be off the scale if sufficient people were convinced to embrace healthy eating lifestyles
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Post by Where's The Money on Jul 27, 2020 18:55:16 GMT
The obesity crisis in this country is a disgrace. Surprise, surprise you are more susceptible to the effects of Coronavirus if you are large. Unless you have an illness whereby weight gain is one of the side affects, it just ain't good enough. It is incredible how we have come to normalise people being overweight. In the past if you saw someone carrying a bit of timber it stood out, now you feel like the odd one out if you are slim. I regularly see groups of women who are not just a little overweight, which is fine, but are absolutely massive, yet it just does not shock anymore. Unfortunately, this issue is a prime advocate for the nanny state. People won't make the changes needed thus government needs to grope around for answers. I best go for tonight, this is a subject that causes me annoyance. I'm off for some fruit.
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Post by Arthur Pringle on Jul 27, 2020 20:25:14 GMT
It is about taking responsibility for your own health ultimately but I do think the government, in terms of its business/tax dealings with the food & drink industry needs to take much harder measures in the areas Lord E listed.
Booze is another big problem in terms of weight gain ( not to mention all the other health problems it brings ), ideally people ought to moderate their intake & be mature, but we know it's not that simple, there's just far too much cheap alcohol available. The cheap/extra strong lagers & White ciders that only alcoholics & those on low incomes buy should not be on sale imo.
I drink Henry Weston's Vintage cider- 8.3%, 300 calories a pint, 3 pints for £5, I can easily add an extra 4000 calories a week drinking it. No one forces me to drink it but I know if it was double the price I'd think twice. Speaking personally, I've never been a big eater, it's booze that increases my belly size.
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Lord Emsworth
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Post by Lord Emsworth on Jul 29, 2020 10:34:15 GMT
A spike of fresh cases in Oldham has resulted in meetings between households being banned
Oldham's semi-lockdown is a test of whether the government can get their nuanced message across to the residents
Cash strapped local authorities whose funding had been cut to the bone lack the resources to communicate or enforce local lockdowns
The patchy welfare state, particularly our uneven provision of sick pay, make it unlikely that everyone who ought to follow tougher lockdown rules can afford to do so
It all points to the possibility of another spike in infections in a few weeks time
As we are seeing across the world, the virus hasn't gone away, and the economic objectives of reopening can't be reconciled with the public health objectives of containment
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Three Litre
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Post by Three Litre on Jul 29, 2020 14:54:04 GMT
When I was a kid I’d rarely see really huge people which you see nowadays.
Since then car has increased massively, so has the amount of unhealthy foodstuffs available.
People have to get back to having this stuff as occasional treats, not everyday fodder.
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Lord Emsworth
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Post by Lord Emsworth on Jul 30, 2020 8:15:42 GMT
Given music venues, theatres, football clubs, festivals etc are stymied until we get a vaccine, or until something else happens to change social distancing, I was wondering the other day whether we might get to a situation where there's less of a one size fits all approach
Given that we know certain groups are much higher risk might we have a situation where they have to shield and people deemed low risk can just get on with life. I appreciate that the free roaming population are still at risk of a nasty illness and possibly worse, but the stats are similar to other lower risks we take for granted.
Dunno, is that just too divisive? Or too subtle to manage?
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