Obesity

Government strategies, policies and guidance

The government have produced several documents around the importance of tackling overweight and obesity, all of which reference evidence on the various types and effectiveness of interventions. Links to key publications are listed below.

Healthy Lives Healthy People 'A call to action on obesity in England’ - White Paper which sets out a framework for population health, reflecting the three major domains of health protection, health improvement and the quality of health services provision.

Healthy Beginnings - Resource which helps health care professionals prevent ill health and promote wellbeing as part of their everyday practice. Health care professionals and care staff use their trusted relationships with children, families and communities to promote the benefits of promoting the best start in life.

Childhood Obesity Plan - The government’s plan to reduce England’s rates of childhood obesity (published 2016). Updated in 2018.

Reduction and Reformulation - Public Health England’s sugar reduction and wider reformulation programme, which incorporates the following:

• Sugar reduction
• Calorie reduction
• Salt reduction
• Commercial baby food for infants under 36 months

Obesity Strategy - Sets out the actions the government will take to tackle obesity and help adults and children to live healthier lives (2020)

NICE guidance

There are several pieces of guidance that have been developed by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) which underpin and inform delivery of nutritional advice and of weight-management services. • Type 2 diabetes prevention: population and community-level interventions (PH35) • Obesity - working with local communities (PH42) • Weight management: lifestyle services for overweight or obese children and young people (PH47) • Weight management: lifestyle services for overweight or obese adults (PH53) • Preventing excess weight gain (NG7) • Type 2 diabetes: prevention in people at high risk (PH38) • BMI: preventing ill health and premature death in black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups (PH46) • Behaviour change: individual approaches (PH49)