The WHO Regional Office for Europe is bringing together health ministers and senior policymakers from 53 countries November 15 -17 to adopt a European Charter on Counteracting Obesity (pdf file). Excerpts from the draft document:
Policy tools range from legislation to public/private partnerships, with particular importance attached to regulatory measures.
While information and education will remain important, the focus should shift to a portfolio of interventions designed to change the social, economic and physical environment.
The package of essential action would include: reduction of marketing pressure, particularly to children; promotion of breastfeeding; improvement of supply of healthier food, including fruit and vegetables; economic measures that facilitate healthier food choices; offers of affordable recreational/exercise facilities, including support for socially disadvantaged groups; reduction of fat, free (particularly added) sugars and salt in manufactured products; promotion of cycling and walking by better urban design and transport policies; creation of opportunities in local environments that motivate people to engage in leisure time physical activity; provision of healthier foods, opportunities for daily physical activity, and nutrition and physical education in schools; facilitating and motivating people to adopt better diets and physical activity in the workplace; developing/improving national food-based dietary guidelines and guidelines for physical activity; and individually adapted health behaviour change.
When designing and implementing policies, successful interventions with demonstrated effectiveness need to be used. They include projects with proven impact on the consumption of healthier foods and levels of physical activity such as: schemes to offer people free fruit at school and work; affordable pricing for healthier foods; increasing access to healthier foods in areas of socioeconomic deprivation; establishing bicycle priority routes; encouraging children to walk to school; improving street lighting; promoting stair use; and reducing television viewing. There is also evidence that many interventions against obesity, such as school programmes and active transport, are highly cost-effective.
Seems more substantive than what we recently saw from the Institute of Medicine.
via Daily Mail
Comments