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Millions of people are unable to work or are less productive because they are obese, according to a report. This report suggests that the disease explains why the UK’s sickness inactivity rate is at record levels.
The Institute for Public Policy Research, a think tank, is calling on the government to stop treating obesity as a matter of individual responsibility and address “working conditions, changes in the built environment and our broken food system” to reduce the number of people reduce are severely overweight.
The UK has the third highest proportion of people with obesity in the OECD, affecting one in four adults. Only the USA and Chile have higher values. The IPPR cited a report from Frontier Economics, a consultancy, that said obesity costs the UK an estimated £98 billion each year, including through reduced productivity.
Since the coronavirus pandemic, the number of people out of work due to long-term illness has reached historic highs, the IPPR noted, making the search for answers urgent.
“We find a connection between economic participation and obesity rates; “Areas with high obesity rates also have high rates of economic inactivity,” the researchers added.
Jamie O’Halloran, senior research fellow at IPPR, said: “Poor public health is holding back the UK economy and obesity plays a major role. “The poorest regions across England are feeling the worst of this epidemic.”
The IPPR found that four out of five constituencies with the highest levels of obesity and unemployment were in the north, while four out of five of the constituencies with the lowest levels were in the south.
Constituencies such as Wansbeck, Redcar, North Durham, Blackpool North and Sunderland South all had obesity rates of more than 15 per cent and inactivity rates of more than 45 per cent, the researchers found.
The IPPR study also showed that there was a clear link with poverty: more than three in ten adults in the most deprived parts of England were severely overweight, compared to almost two in ten adults in the least deprived parts of England.
The exact link between obesity and the inability to participate in the labor market remains to be elucidated, the researchers suggested. It could be that obesity prevents them from working, but those who are economically inactive could also have difficulty affording a healthy diet or exercise. It could be a combination of both.
The cost to the economy included lost productivity due to higher rates of sickness absence among people who were severely overweight.
The poll for IPPR found that about half of the public supported increasing taxes (52 percent) and regulation (59 percent) on ultra-processed food and beverage producers – compared to less than 10 percent who wanted taxes and regulation reduced .
O’Halloran said the government’s laissez-faire approach to public health had been “a failed experiment”.. He added: “We need to strengthen our institutions to regulate unhealthy food, use taxes and subsidies to make the healthy option cheaper, and invest in the NHS, local government and education so that health is the cornerstone of British prosperity can.” ”
The government said obesity costs the NHS around £6.5 billion a year, “and we are taking decisive action to promote healthier options, while our groundbreaking levy on the soft drinks industry has prevented an estimated 5,000 cases of obesity.” .
In addition, the government had introduced mandatory calorie information on menus and restrictions that meant that less healthy foods were no longer allowed to be placed at the best selling points in supermarkets.
It added: “Our £2.5 billion back-to-work plan will help over a million people, including those with long-term health problems related to obesity, to reduce barriers to work.”