Seven days in medicine: 8-14 May 2019
BMJ 2019; 365 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l2197 (Published 16 May 2019) Cite this as: BMJ 2019;365:l2197
Obesity
National dietary advice is urged for parents
The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh called on the UK government and the devolved administrations to give parents universal education on nutrition to help tackle childhood obesity. It said that education on healthy diets for children and the importance of exercise should be available at antenatal classes and at nursery through to secondary school. Children who start school obese are more likely to be obese in adulthood. The obesity rate in adults is 29% in England and Scotland and 27% in Northern Ireland.
Rural prevalence rises more rapidly
Global strategies to combat rising obesity may need to be reconsidered, said researchers, after they found that from 1985 to 2017 the average body mass index in rural areas worldwide increased by 2.1 in women and men. In cities it increased by 1.3 in women and 1.6 in men. The authors wrote in Nature, “As economic growth and rural nutrition programmes reduce rural caloric deficiency, the rural undernutrition disadvantage may be replaced with a more general and complex malnutrition that entails excessive consumption of low quality calories.” (Full story doi:10.1136/bmj.l2088)
Workforce
Disabled doctors and students get new support
The General Medical Council (GMC) advised medical schools and training providers on steps to ensure that all students and trainee doctors can fulfil their potential, including those with disabilities. These steps, outlined in the GMC’s Welcomed and Valued …
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