The Obesity Health Alliance has a new joint position statement (together with First Steps Nutrition Trust), ‘Healthy Early Years Diets: Achieving the Best Start in Life’ which outlines the next steps the government can take, to create healthier food environments and help ensure the UK’s youngest children and babies grow up healthily.  This will be key to delivering not only key government health priorities, but also levelling up and ensuring every child can reach their full potential, regardless of where they were born. We propose a series of achievable, evidence-informed and cost-ef ..read more

More needs to be done to tackle the unhealthy products driving nearly half a million people out of work. Our new Holding Us Back report released by a coalition of health charities has laid bare the £31bn productivity cost to the economy from alcohol, tobacco and unhealthy foods. Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), the Obesity Health Alliance (OHA) and the Alcohol Health Alliance (AHA), have joined forces to outline the scale of harm caused collectively by tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food and drinks, which are major causes of death and chronic disease. Big businesses are currently profiting ..read more

NHS Digital has presented findings from the Government’s National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) for England, 2022/23 school year.  It covers children in Reception (aged 4-5 years) and Year 6 (aged 10-11 years) in mainstream state-maintained schools in England. The new data shows that, for children living in the most deprived areas, obesity prevalence was twice as high compared with those living in the least deprived areas. The OHA Comments: “All children have a right to grow up healthy, regardless of their circumstances.  It is welcome that fewer children are starting primary sc ..read more

Following the publication of the Obesity Health Alliance’s Manifesto for the next General Election, our Government Affairs Lead, Alfie Slade, reflects on the process and what learnings we can share with our members. What’s the point of a manifesto? It is a question that a lot of people who work in politics ask themselves. Why do we put so much focus on a document that the political parties only do on sufferance, generally keep as vague as possible and rarely keep to? In the charity world, we put a lot of emphasis on securing commitments, or even just vaguely supportive wording, in a political ..read more

The Government has announced it will further delay the introduction of restrictions on multibuy price promotions on foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar. Last week, the Prime Minister committed to cutting NHS waiting lists by reducing obesity – in 2019/2020, there were over one million NHS admissions in England where excess weight was a factor.  Restricting multibuys on unhealthy food is an important part of the Government’s evidence-based obesity strategy, which will help address the causes, not just the symptoms, of diet-related ill health.  Multi-buy price promotions do not ..read more

On Tuesday 23rd May 2023, the Obesity Health Alliance were delighted to welcome members, colleagues and parliamentarians to our Annual Parliamentary Reception. This event launched the OHA’s manifesto for all political parties in advance of the next General Election. There are three clear asks of the next Government – give children’s health the priority it deserves, build on the success of the Soft Drinks Levy, and empower local communities to make the places they live healthier.  Each ask is based on a recommendation in our Turning The Tide 10 Year Healthy Weight Strategy, and developed i ..read more

Evidence shows that children living with overweight and obesity now risk serious life-limiting and life-threatening health problems later in life.  Jennifer O’Mara, World Cancer Research Fund International’s Policy & Public Affairs Officer reflects on the launch of the OHA’s manifesto, and looks at what’s being done.  This blog first appeared on World Cancer Research Fund’s website. Childhood obesity in the UK doesn’t seem to be improving according to the 2022 National Child Measurement programme. The latest results from the programme revealed that in England during 2021-2022, 10 ..read more

In this blog, Prof Jim McManus, Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH) President welcomes the launch of the Obesity Health Alliance manifesto which sets out an ambitious agenda. The scale of the challenge demands honesty, brave decisions and long-term thinking, and Directors of Public Health (DsPH) are committed to playing their part in delivering it. Around two-thirds (63%) of adults are above a healthy weight, and of these, half are living with obesity.[1] In England alone, one in three children leaving primary school is overweight.1 Furthermore, the prevalence of obesity is highes ..read more

8 out of 10 UK adults support the Government banning advertising of unhealthy food on TV (79%) and online (81%) to kids 68% of UK adults would support an industry levy being extended beyond soft drinks if the money supported children’s food and health initiatives The Obesity Health Alliance urges the new Prime Minister to prioritise child health Today (23rd May) the Obesity Health Alliance (OHA) is hand-delivering letters to the future leaders of the UK Government with a simple request for ALL political parties to commit to addressing the high levels of excess weight in the UK population. Th ..read more

The Obesity Health Alliance launches its Manifesto for the next General Election – highlighting the massive opportunity to protect child health.  The next government can deliver this by building on the successes of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy and empowering local communities to make the places they live healthier. The OHA have written to the leaders of the Conservative Party, Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats to ask their Party to commit to addressing the high levels of excess weight in the UK population, alongside publication of an OHA press release and YouGov polling data. (Pleas ..read more