Why Is Liverpool Becoming Capital of Tubbies?

By E. Hughes

Liverpool and Merseyside have high rates of obesity, and this in a country that according to some reports is the most obese in Europe.

The problem of obesity on Merseyside is particularly chronic, the reasons are not always clear. One report claimed that a quarter of all children on Merseyside are either overweight or obese. Research into food advertising aimed at children by Dr Jason Halford, a psychologist from Liverpool University, led him to the conclusion that "Obesity has a combination of factors; convenience food, sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical exercise. Put together it has a toxic effect."
In a recent Liverpool University report, 12,000 people on Merseyside were examined and questioned to discover what sort of lifestyles they were leading. Shockingly, the report concluded that over half the people on Merseyside are overweight, and few Merseysiders manage to eat anywhere near the 5 portions of fruit recommended each day for a healthier life. It is clear from this, and many other hard-hitting reports, that Merseyside does have a particular problem with obesity. The question is: 'Why is Merseyside Obese?'

What has been stressed about obesity in general is that poorer families, communities and groups tend towards obesity and being overweight, than do more well-off and educated groups. This is of course a generalisation, but when the proposed 'fat-tax' was discussed, to challenge bad eating habits, there were concerns that this would penalise low-income families, as they were seen to eat more cheap, high-fat and over-processed foods. Perhaps this is why Merseyside has a particular problem with obesity, the levels of poverty being higher here.

One of the more alarming facts about obesity on Merseyside is that there is a sharp rise in childhood obesity, alongside the rise in adult obesity. Added to this is the ominous report that obese children might for the first time die before their own parents. Equally, according to Dr Colin Waine of the National Obesity Forum, obese children are developing conditions like diabetes and heart disease formally only seen in overweight and middle-aged adults, as well as a series of general heart-related problems because of the steep rise in childhood obesity.

What is being done to help tackle Obesity on Merseyside?

It was recently announced that Liverpool would have the very first obesity research professor in the UK, Paul Trayhurn, at Liverpool University. Professor Phillip Love of the University welcomed him saying "This is a wonderful opportunity for the University of Liverpool to move to the forefront of research into obesity and its management. These therapies will benefit people everywhere, not least in Merseyside where levels of obesity, diabetes and coronary heart disease are unusually high." (1)

Liverpool City Council are also attempting to tackle the issue, particularly when it comes to young people as well as recently opening 'junior fat clubs', is also spearheading programmes to tackle childhood obesity head-on. One such programme is 'Sportslinx', which, as well as interviewing yearly thousands of 9/10 year olds on a variety of health-related topics, encourages children to join after-school sports clubs, to keep them fit and healthy and stop them hanging around the streets. According to one report, the benefits of such action are very encouraging, leading to healthier kids, better communities, and, with the particular emphasis on teamwork, children who are more socially adept too.

Where do we go from here?

The rise in obesity is often seen as a symbol of an over indulgent society, people were getting wealthier and more comfortable materially, socially, economically and so on. From another angle however, overeating can be seen as a problem masking feelings of insecurity, low social status, low achievement and being in low-paid and un-gratifying employment. The result, all the same, is a nation that is becoming increasingly obese, unhealthy, overstressed and more prone to serious health conditions and heart problems, with 1 in 4 Britons, according to researchers, set to become obese by 2010. When comparing those figures to present trends on Merseyside the figure could more likely be 1 in 2.

Whatever the reasons for the rise of obesity on Merseyside, it is clear that it is a serious problem, and looks to be one of the major causes of ill health in the very near future. As hunger is a serious problem in one part of the globe, so overeating is a serious problem in the modern world. Can we ever find a happy medium?

As a footnote, on the 23rd of July Ofcom, the telecoms regulator, refused to ban the advertising of food and drink on children's TV. Their Chief executive Stephen Carter said "A total ban would be neither proportionate nor, in isolation, effective." Doctor Peter Maguire of the British Medical Association replied "The health of our children is more important than advertising revenues." Perhaps it is, as almost ever, an economic issue at heart?

Some Internet links regarding nutrition, health, exercise, diets and discussions of just what constitutes good and bad food.

What causes obesity? www.bbc.co.uk/health/yourweight/medical_obesity.shtml
Patient UK website; a whole list of weight, health and obesity related websites: www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/461/
British Nutrition Foundation: www.nutrition.org.uk/
Getting Fruity to Tackle Obesity Worries; a website promoting healthy eating through eating more fruit: www.zarr.com/news/tropicals.asp
General Practice Notebook; a medical website with informative topics on a range of health issues: www.gpnotebook.co.uk/simplepage.cfm?ID=-234487805
Netfit; an interesting and informative site covering all aspects of exercise, weight-related and health-related topics: http://www.netfit.co.uk
A whole list of health and fitness related subjects: http://www.uk-fitnessdirectory.co.uk/

(1) This professorship incidentally is being sponsored by an international pharmaceutical company called AstraZeneca, and there are undercurrents that obesity is now being seen as a disease, and that to tackle it will need new developments of drugs and pills to combat the problem.