Tackling Overweight And Obesity

EDM number 424 in 2000-01, proposed by Howard Stoate on 12/03/2001.

That this House welcomes the recent guidance issued by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence on the treatment of overweight and obesity in the NHS; notes that obesity and overweight are life-threatening medical conditions affecting one in five and one in two of the UK adult population respectively; is concerned that overweight and obesity have a major detrimental impact on public health, directly leading to many other diseases which kill, including coronary heart disease, stroke, certain forms of cancer, mental illness and diabetes; recalls that the recent NAO report, 'Tackling Obesity in England', revealed that obesity led to 18 million days of sickness absence, 30,000 premature deaths, ú0.5 billion in costs to the NHS and a further ú2 billion to the economy in England in 1998; believes that full and effective implementation of the NICE guidance will play a significant role in helping to achieve the Government's targets for tackling coronary heart disease, cancer and diabetes; and calls upon the Government to ensure that sufficient funds and resources are made available to all health authorities to enable swift and full implementation of the NICE guidance and that health authorities are encouraged to take account of the NICE guidance.

This motion has been signed by a total of 47 MPs.