Britains Baby Step Obesity Initiative

The British government has just announced a new initiative to reduce obesity, with the goal of being the first western country to stem the tide of this epidemic. The core idea? Sending people to their physician for an obesity check (including a calculation of their Body Mass Index, a measure of obesity).

Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo notes: “More than 60 per cent of adults in England are overweight or obese, leaving them at increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart and liver disease. BMI checks will make sure people know they are overweight and will help to turn their health around.” More details can be found here.

It’s difficult not to like the purpose of this initiative, but is it substantive?

Even assuming that people actually go to their GPs for the BMI checks, one has to wonder about the overall effectiveness. Do the obese not realize that they are obese? Will a 350-pound man who is unable to tie his own shoelaces and suffers from diabetes suddenly realize he’s heavy after hearing this from his doc?

Governments across the western world are working feverishly to combat rising obesity. Unfortunately, the obesity check doesn’t seem to pass the reality check.