Obesity and low productivity in the UK are closely linked, a think tank has warned.

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Millions of people are unable to work or are less productive due to obesity. Obesity helps explain why rates of economic inactivity due to illness are at record levels in the UK, according to the report.

Think tank the Public Policy Institute is calling on governments to stop treating obesity as a personal responsibility and address working conditions, changes to the built environment and damaged food systems to reduce the number of people with severe obesity. overweight.

The UK has the third highest rate of obesity in the OECD, affecting one in four adults. Only the United States and Chile had higher levels. IPPR cited a report by consulting firm Frontier Economics which found that obesity costs the UK around $98 billion a year, including lost productivity.

IPPR said it was urgent to find answers, noting that since the coronavirus pandemic the number of economically inactive people due to long-term illness has reached an all-time high.

We found a link between economic participation and obesity rates. Areas with high rates of obesity also have high rates of economic inactivity, the researchers added.

Jamie O'Alloran, Senior Research Fellow at IPPR, said: Poor public health is holding back the UK economy and obesity is playing a key role. The poorest areas across the UK are feeling this pandemic worst.

IPPR found that four of the five congressional districts with the highest levels of obesity and economic inactivity were in the North, while four of the five districts with the lowest levels of obesity were in the South.

Constituencies such as Wansbeck, Redcar, North Durham, Blackpool North and Sunderland South all have obesity rates of more than 15% and economic inactivity rates of more than 45%, the researchers found.

The IPPR study found that in the most deprived areas of England, more than three in 10 adults were severely overweight, with a clear link to poverty, while in the least deprived areas the figure was closer to two in 10 adults.

The exact link between obesity and inability to participate in the labor market still needs to be unraveled, the researchers suggest. Obesity may be preventing you from working, but economically inactive people may also find it difficult to afford healthy eating or exercise. It could be a combination of the two.

Costs to the economy included lost productivity due to higher rates of sickness absence among severely overweight people.

According to the IPPR poll, about half of the general public supports increased taxes (52%) and regulations (59%) on manufacturers of ultra-processed foods and beverages, while less than 10% want fewer taxes and regulations.

O'Halloran said the government's laissez-faire approach to public health had been a failed experiment. He added: Our institutions must regulate unhealthy food, use taxes and subsidies to make healthy options more affordable, and invest in the NHS, local councils and education to ensure health remains the cornerstone of Britain's prosperity.

suggestion

The government says obesity costs the NHS around $6.5 billion a year and we are taking decisive action to promote healthier options, with a landmark soft drinks industry levy believed to have prevented 5,000 cases of obesity. It is estimated.

Additionally, the government has introduced mandatory calorie labeling on menus and introduced restrictions such that unhealthy foods can no longer be placed in key selling positions in supermarkets.

Additionally, our 2.5 billion Back to Work plan will help break down barriers to work for more than a million people, including those with long-term health problems related to obesity.

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