Holistic modelling as a catalyst for effective obesity policy

Despite longstanding government rhetoric of a commitment to tackling obesity, UK policies have not provided an adequate and coherent response. A 2021 analysis of 14 key obesity policy documents since 1992 identified repeated inadequacies in policy design, implementation, and evaluation.1 The 2023 Institute for Government report on tackling obesity concluded that the government had no serious plan to meet the aim of tackling obesity and called for learning from past mistakes.2

Obesity is one of the biggest health challenges of our age; prevalence in England continues to rise and reached 26% in 2021 (32% of those aged 55-74), one of the highest rates worldwide, and shows stark inequalities by deprivation.3 It is well established that population obesity is not going to be solved through treatment or simplistic encouragement for individuals to eat less and move more.2 As a report from the UK Government Office for Science concluded in 2007, obesity is a system level problem that requires simultaneous action on multiple fronts.4

The World Health Organization’s 2022 plan for obesity further highlights the range of settings and approaches where action must be taken, including fiscal, regulatory, and lived environment interventions.5 Nevertheless, UK obesity policy includes minimal population level interventions and continues to rely on short term, individual level, treatment focused approaches12 that only a small percentage of the eligible population can access.6 The problems in policy making on obesity are symptomatic of inadequacies across many public health policy areas,78 but obesity provides a good example of the problematic influence of “nanny statism” political concerns.1

Current …