By Professor Linda Bauld, Cancer Prevention Champion, Cancer Research UK
LOOK around any primary school playground in Scotland and you can expect to see more than one-fifth of the children there carrying too much weight.
It’s a shocking reality, a stark reflection of the obesity epidemic that’s currently gripping Scotland, and one that poses the threat of serious health consequences in the future. An obese child is around five times more likely to be an obese adult, storing up health problems for their entire lives and placing them at risk of preventable cancers.
Obesity is the single biggest preventable cause of cancer after smoking in the UK and is linked to 13 different types of cancer. We also know that if current trends continue, rising numbers of overweight and obese adults could result in 670,000 avoidable cases of cancer across the UK over the next 20 years. Surely this tells us it really is time to take action. At Cancer Research UK we believe the Scottish Government can and must do more.
The realisation that Scotland is bearing the weight of the high cost of obesity has dawned in the halls of power. In its recently published manifesto, the SNP acknowledges that obesity is one of the biggest challenges facing the nation’s health. It also expresses the SNP’s disappointment with the UK Government childhood obesity plan which was published last year.
We agree – the UK obesity strategy was disappointing in that it didn’t go far enough to make a significant difference. Now, the Scottish Government has a chance to lead the way with brave new measures that would result in a healthier Scotland. Proposals for its new obesity strategy are anticipated soon and we hope they will be bold.
Cancer Research UK is clear that one of the most effective measures the Scottish Government can take to curb the rising tide of obesity is to restrict the array of multi-buy offers on unhealthy food that supermarket shoppers are routinely faced with.
Walking around the supermarket aisles, we’ve all seen the bright labels enticing us to stock up and buy more than we need – two chocolate bars for a pound, three multi-bags of crisps for £3. It’s a skilful marketing ploy that’s hard to resist and it is causing families all over Scotland to fill up their trolleys with excessive amounts of junk food.
And of course price does matter. Studies have shown that the most deprived in our society consume the fewest fruit and vegetables. They also consume the highest amounts of sugar, processed meat products and chips. Scottish households also have the biggest thirst for fizzy drinks, spending over a quarter more than other UK nations on soft drinks. We buy what we consider to be good value for money and much more needs to be done to make healthy options affordable.
Marketing is a powerful tool, which is why corporations invest heavily in campaigns to sell us their product. As well as curbing multi-buy offers on unhealthy food, closing the loophole that allows children to be regularly influenced by junk food advertising on TV would also result in a significant shift in consumer buying behaviour. While this is a job for the UK Government, our MSPs and MPs in Scotland can do much by adding their voices to the growing public discontent at junk food marketing before the 9pm watershed.
We also know it’s not enough to simply encourage people to do more exercise – research shows us you can’t run off a bad diet. The food we eat is central to good health and emphasis must be placed on supporting parents to provide a healthy diet for their children.
Scotland’s levels of obesity are the worst in the UK and we are among the heaviest nations in Europe. This mounts up to a crippling burden on the doorstep of the NHS and Scottish Government, with the economic cost of obesity to the NHS costing an estimated £600 million a year.
Cancer Research UK believes the nation’s poor health justifies strong action. Restrictions on supermarket price promotions on unhealthy foods would be effective and feasible. By making junk food more expensive and rebalancing promotions towards healthier options, we’ll be taking home smaller waistlines, healthier lives, as well as bags of tastier, fresher and more nutritious food.
We want to help give children the best start in life and reduce their risk of developing cancer in their lifetime. Measures to help us enjoy a better diet will make it easier for us all to stack the odds of not getting cancer in our favour.
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