Obesity And The Built Environment

Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Article Date: 03 Jun 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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Obesity experts speaking today presented recent evidence that changes to our built environment could tackle the rising tide of obesity. The conference, organised by the charity the Association for the Study of Obesity, also discussed innovative solutions from policy makers and organisations including NICE, Sustrans and Living Streets.

The conference, 'Obesity and the Built Environment', was hosted today, 3rd June, by the Association for the Study of Obesity for its members at the Institute for Child Health in London, England. The conference looked at the environmental influences on physical activity and eating patterns and the impact on future obesity. Experts agree that a long term collaborative approach, involving many professionals from across different sectors and industries, is required to investigate and ultimately change the environments which promote high energy intake and sedentary behaviour.

Speakers presented data from across the UK which considered how the environment impacts on obesity, including the placement of fast food outlets; car use, walking, cycling; and physical activity in children. A health impact assessment tool was also discussed, along with subsequent healthy design principles for new residential developments.

Philip Insall, Director of Active Travel at Sustrans, presented data on the National Cycle Network and illustrated that physical change in the environment can impact active travel behaviours. Jack Skillen of the Fitter for Walking Project from Living Streets emphasised the need for guidance to explicitly prioritise pedestrians. The environmental influence on physical activity and in children was discussed by Dr Ashley Cooper (Bristol University) and Jenna Panter (University of East Angelia). Dr Steven Cummins, who has looked at deprivation and food environments both in the UK and other developed countries, presented findings that living in a low-income or deprived area was independently associated with the consumption of a poor quality diet and the prevalence of obesity. Hugo Crombie (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence; NICE) described recent NICE guidance on promoting and creating built or natural environments that encourage and support physical activity - the first ever evidence-based national recommendations.

Dr Amelia Lake, a Public Health Nutritionist from Newcastle University and a member of the ASO scientific committee said that 'the current obesity epidemic is multi-faceted and there is no single or simple solution: alongside action to address individual behaviours, we urgently need to examine and change the environments that we live in.. With this in mind, we hope that the re-launch of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Obesity tomorrow4th June, which will also discuss this topic, will raise awareness among policymakers and build on the measures outlined in the Foresight report on obesity to make the places we live and work more conducive to a healthy lifestyle".

1. The meeting will be held at the Institute of Child Health, Guilford Street, London. It runs between 9am and 4.30pm. To attend the meeting please contact Mrs Chris Hawkins, ASO administrator on chris@aso.ndo.org.uk or 0208 503 2042.

2. The final recommendations from NICE cover policy and planning, transport, public open space, buildings and schools.

3. The ASO is the secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary Group on Obesity. The aim of the group is to promote greater awareness amongst both Government and the population at large of the problems which are associated with obesity, and to investigate measures which can help the Government to deal with the issue successfully.

Association for the Study of Obesity

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